HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Housing: Energy

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the energy rating of each building on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate was in  (a) 2004 and  (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: Energy ratings for public buildings were introduced in 2008 under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 and therefore energy ratings are available for 2008 and 2009 only.
	
		
			  House of Commons display energy certificate ratings 
			   2008  2009 
			  Building  Energy rating  Energy band  Energy rating  Energy band 
			 Palace of Westminster 207 G (1)146 F 
			 Portcullis House 203 G 192 G 
			 Norman Shaw North and Norman Shaw South including Canon Row 140 F 147 F 
			 1 Parliament Street including Derby Gate 175 G 221 G 
			 7 Millbank 246 G 251 G 
			 (1) The Palace of Westminster building classification has been adjusted from 'Schools and Seasonal Public Buildings' to 'General Office' to more adequately reflect its pattern of use. This accounts for the significant change in rating.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Cadets

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account his Department took of the Prime Minister's request for expansion of the cadet force when determining changes to its level of funding.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 28 October 2009
	The Department has taken full account of the Prime Minister's request for expansion of cadets for state schools and state school pupils, when taking very hard decisions about funding. Our commitment to the Prime Minister's direction remains undiminished, as evidenced by our recent response to the Milburn Report, where we have accepted in principle the recommendation to ensure that those state school pupils who wish to get involved in cadets may do so. It is recognised, however, that in the present challenging financial situation we cannot fully meet it immediately. The MOD is investigating the possibility of third party funding to support the set-up and running of cadet units including further opportunities for joint working with the Department of Children Schools and Families.

Armed Forces: Medical Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from the Joint Medical Command were based in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales,  (c) England,  (d) Northern Ireland,  (e) Cyprus and  (f) Germany in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The Joint Medical Command (JMC) was formed on 1 April 2008, comprising personnel serving in a wide range of MOD medical divisions and locations, including the former Defence Medical Education and Training Agency and the Defence dental services. Information on the location of JMC personnel is currently being compiled and I will place figures in the Library of the House once work has been completed.

Armed Forces: Medical Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual strength of the defence medical services is in respect of each (i) service and (ii) trade.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 29W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).

Defence: Scotland

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) military and  (b) civilian staff are presently employed in Kentigern House in Glasgow.

Kevan Jones: Approximately 1,400 people currently work in Kentigern House. Of these approximately 200 are military and 1,200 are civilian. Roughly 60 per cent. of the 1,400 work for the Army Personnel Centre. The remainder are attached to various other MOD organisations.

Defence: Scotland

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defence establishments in Scotland are presently operated by his Department.

Kevan Jones: Ministry of Defence sites in Scotland are listed as follows.
	It should be noted that this list does not include the Volunteer Estate, Army Career and Information Offices, Armed Forces Careers Offices or Service Family Accommodation.
	Black Dog Range
	DMC Beith
	RNAD Coulport
	DMC Crombie
	DMC Glen Douglas
	Ardgarten Training Area
	RAF Aird Uig
	Aultbea Training Camp
	Balduff Training Area
	RAF Benbecula
	Barry Buddon Training Camp
	DSCA Radio Brown Carrick
	Burntisland
	DE Hebrides
	Ballscalloch Radio Station
	Blarbuie Rifle Range
	RAF Buchan
	Burgie Hill Radio Station
	ISS Radio Bruxie Hill
	Cameron Barracks
	Cambret Hill Mould Site
	Edinburgh Castle
	HMS Caledonia
	Cerium Building
	Craigkelly Comms Site
	Castle Kennedy Training Area
	Clynder Comms Site
	Collafirth Hill Forward Scatter Site
	Castlelaw Ranges
	Craigiehall
	Colonsay Comms Site
	Cullaloe Hills NATO Relay Station
	Cape Wrath Bombing Range
	Applecross
	Craigowl Hill Mould and Comms Site
	Dundonald Hill Comms Site
	Loch Fyne
	Loch Goil
	Rona
	DE Rosyth
	Dunion Hill Mould Comms Site
	Kyle of Lochalsh
	Dreghorn Barracks
	DE South Arm Rosyth
	DPA Seismic Stations Eskdalemuir
	Eastriggs Storage Depot
	OFD Garelochhead
	Fair Isle Mould Comms Site
	Finnart Ocean Terminal
	Forthside Stirling
	Fort George
	Foyers Comms Site
	HMS Gannet
	Galloway Training Area
	Glendocherty Mould and Comms Site
	Glencorse Barracks
	Kentigern House
	Green Lowther Hill Radio Station
	Garelochead Training Area
	HQ 51 Highland Brigade Forthside
	Isle of Lewis Mould and Comms Site
	Inchdrewer House
	Islay Comms Site
	Inverness Training Camp Dundonnell
	Inverness Training Camp Kingussie
	Inverness Training Camp Tulloch
	Invergordon Burial Rights
	Kirkcudbright Training Area
	RAF Kinloss
	Balmacara House
	Kinlochleven Training Area
	Barvas Rifle Range
	Loch Eyenort Comms Site
	RAF Leuchars
	Loch Ewe Training Area
	RAF Lossiemouth
	Rhu Port Logistics Unit
	DE Machrihanish
	Mullach Dubh Comms Site
	Mormond Hill Comms Site
	ISS Radio Meall Mor
	Camrhu Monitor Station
	Mull Communications Site
	HMNB Clyde
	Greenock Navy Buildings
	Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment
	NATO POL Depot Campbeltown
	NATO POL Depot Loch Ewe
	NATO POL Depot Loch Striven
	Pitlochry Mould and Comms Site
	Museum RHF Glasgow
	Queen Victoria School
	Rams Dale Range
	Redford Cavalry Barracks
	Redford Infantry Barracks
	Kirk O Shotts Mould and Comms Site
	Kirknewton Airfield
	RM Condor
	ISS Radio Crimond
	ISS Radio Greenock
	Ru Stafnish Radio Station
	Scotstown Moor
	Stirling Castle RHQ and Museum
	DSG Forthside
	Stornoway DRDF Site
	RAF Saxa Vord
	Tain Training Area DTE
	Tighnablair Training Area
	Tiree Comms Site
	UGSAS Glasgow
	Victoria Barracks
	West Freugh
	Old Man of Wick Rifle Range
	Wyvis Training Area

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: During the last 12 months, 25 individuals have been authorised to work either fully or partially from home on a regular basis.
	The total number of employees currently recorded as working from home is 191. This includes 74 individuals who are wholly home workers and 117 who split their hours between home and office working.
	These figures do not include staff who work from home on an ad hoc basis with the agreement of their line managers. Details of such discretionary arrangements are not held centrally.

HMS Endurance

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for the future of HMS Endurance; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November 2009,  Official Report, column 648W, to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis).

Military Aircraft: Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Royal Air Force planes and  (b) military planes from each country other than the UK have landed in Gibraltar in each of the last three years.

Bill Rammell: Landings by military aircraft at RAF Gibraltar in each of the last three complete years is provided as follows:
	2006: 357 British and 4 foreign
	2007: 271 British and 3 foreign
	2008: 186 British and 11 foreign
	2009: As of 28 October 2009, there have been 149 British and 6 foreign landings.

OLYMPICS

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which companies are under contract to her Office to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Tessa Jowell: My Office has been part of the Cabinet Office since July 2007, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is the sponsoring Department for the Government Olympic Executive (GOE).
	The Cabinet Office and the DCMS each procure mail services. Cabinet Office procurement and DCMS procurement will be outlined in the answers provided by the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DCMS respectively.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many people the Olympic Delivery Authority has employed at each pay grade in the last two years.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 22 October 2009
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has provided the following tables, which detail the number of people at each pay grade at the end of the last two financial years (ending April 2008 and April 2009), and at the end of September 2009. The figures comprise permanent staff, fixed-term contract staff and secondees.
	The ODA is now at peak activity and going forward, personnel numbers will begin to reduce in line with the ODA project scope.
	
		
			  April 2008 
			  Band  Role  Number of staff 
			 n/a CEO 1 
			 5 Directors 7 
			 4 Heads of Function 28 
			 3 Managers/Technical Professionals 79 
			 2 Executive/Officers 32 
			 1 Projects/Administrative Support 47 
			  Total 194 
		
	
	
		
			  April 200 9 
			  Band  Role  Number of staff 
			 n/a CEO 1 
			 5 Directors 7 
			 4 Heads of Function 28 
			 3 Managers/Technical Professionals 89 
			 2 Executive/Officers 56 
			 1 Projects/Administrative Support 56 
			  Total 237 
		
	
	
		
			  September  200 9 
			  Band  Role  Number of staff 
			 n/a CEO 1 
			 5 Directors 7 
			 4 Heads of Function 28 
			 3 Managers/Technical Professionals 89 
			 2 Executive/Officers 60 
			 1 Projects/Administrative Support 69 
			  Total 254

Olympic Games 2012

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what estimate she has made of the cost of hosting the London 2012  (a) badminton and  (b) rhythmic gymnastics events at (i) Wembley Arena, (ii) Barking Riverside and (iii) North Greenwich Arena.

Tessa Jowell: The cost estimates for hosting badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at the sites given are commercially sensitive and it would therefore not be appropriate to publish them while commercial negotiations are ongoing.

Olympic Games 2012: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many suppliers based in  (a) Southend-on-Sea and  (b) Essex have been awarded contracts by the Olympic Delivery Authority since April 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1262W.
	Since April 2009, there have been no additional contracts awarded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to businesses registered in Essex. However, after further clarification of ODA's supplier data, it has become apparent that of the 23 suppliers registered in Essex, one business is based in Southend-on-Sea.
	These figures do not include those contracts awarded to sub-contractors based in Essex. Many other companies will have won 2012 work further down the supply chain.

Olympic Games 2012: Facilities

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Minister for the Olympics on what criteria the venue for the  (a) badminton,  (b) rhythmic gymnastics and  (c) boxing events in the London 2012 Olympic games was selected.

Tessa Jowell: When considering the final choice of venue to host the badminton, rhythmic gymnastics and boxing events in 2012, the Olympic Board took into account value for money, deliverability and athlete experience.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics for what reasons the programme delivery element of the Olympic budget has risen from £400 million in March 2007 to £678 million in July 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 13 July 2009
	The programme delivery element of the Olympic Delivery Authority's baseline budget, announced in December 2007, was £647 million. This included delivery partner costs which were estimated, in March 2007, at £400 million. The current forecast final cost for programme delivery is £677 million, a potential increase of £30 million. This increase is due to IT costs and the potential for the delivery partner to earn higher performance-based enhanced profits as a result of the good progress being made and the programme being on schedule and budget.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the budget for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony is.

Tessa Jowell: This is a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), a private company limited by guarantee.
	LOCOG is working with key stakeholders to stage a number of inspiring ceremonies for the 2012 games, the costs of which will be met through their £2 billion privately-financed budget.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent estimate is of the cost of hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic shooting event at the Royal Artillery Barracks; what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of hosting the event at that location; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The cost effectiveness of hosting the shooting events at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich was reviewed by the Olympic Board in spring this year as part of the process to finalise the venues for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. It would not be appropriate to publish commercially sensitive budget and cost information as the procurement for the facilities required for hosting shooting events has not yet begun.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she has had discussions with the  (a) Olympic Delivery Authority and  (b) the Secretary of State for Health on the implications for access to the Queen Elizabeth Woolwich hospital of the holding of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic shooting event at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are working closely with the Queen Elizabeth hospital, Greenwich borough council and the Department of Health to ensure that the hospital will continue to operate effectively during the games.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether the full exclusion zone required by the International Shooting Federations will be in place for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic shooting event to be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Tessa Jowell: The SEZ planned for the Royal Artillery Barracks site is at a distance of 250 metres, which has been deemed appropriate by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), safety advisers and insurers. The ISSF has approved the technical aspects for the site. To minimise disruption to the surrounding area, the full extent of the safety exclusion zone is only planned to be in place during Olympic games shotgun events. The full exclusion zone is not required during Paralympic games as there is no shotgun event.

Olympic Games 2012: Plants

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many cut Christmas trees will be acquired in 2009 from  (a) within the UK and  (b) abroad for growing and subsequent planting at the main Olympic site for the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: There will be no cut Christmas trees acquired in 2009 from within the UK or abroad for growing and subsequent planting at the main Olympic site for the London 2012 Olympics.

Olympic Games 2012: Public Bodies

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics for which public bodies the Government Olympic Executive is responsible; which individuals the Executive has appointed to each such body; and what the duration of appointment of each is.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 29 October 2009
	The Government Olympic Executive is responsible for the oversight of two non-departmental public bodies, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the Olympic Lottery Distributor (OLD). I appoint the members of both bodies and the appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The following table lists the names and the duration of the current appointments to the ODA and OLD Boards. I have also appointed the Chief Executive of the ODA, David Higgins.
	The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited (LOCOG) is a private company limited by guarantee, established under a Joint Venture Agreement with Government, the Mayor of London and the British Olympic Association. As Minister for the Olympics and Paralympics I represent Government as a member of the company, together with the Mayor of London and the Chair of the British Olympic Association. On 25 January 2006, the Board of LOCOG, with the consent of all three members, appointed Lord Sebastian Coe as Chair for an indefinite period. In addition, under the Joint Venture Agreement and LOCOG's Articles of Association, I am entitled to propose and then appoint one non-executive director to LOCOG's Board. On 19 October 2007, I appointed Stephen Lovegrove as a non-executive director of LOCOG for an initial term of three years.
	
		
			  Olympic delivery authority 
			  Name  Role  Start date  End date  Terms 
			 John Armitt CBE Chair September 2007 September 2012 1 
			 David Fison Member January 2009 September 2012 1 
			 Lorraine Baldry Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Tony Ball Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Neale Coleman Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Barry Camfield Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Stephen Duckworth OBE Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Christopher Garnett Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Sir Roy McNulty CBE Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Baroness Morgan of Huyton Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Kumar Muthalagappan OBE Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 Sir Nicholas Serota FRIBA Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
			 David Taylor CBE Member April 2006 September 2012 2 
		
	
	
		
			  Olympic lottery distributor 
			  Name  Role  Start date  End date  Terms 
			 Janet Paraskeva Chair March 2006 February 2010 1 
			 Hilary Daniels Member April 2006 April 2010 1 
			 Sir Craig Reedie CBE Member April 2006 April 2010 1 
			 Carol Ainscow Member December 2008 December 2012 1 
			 Lindsey Holbrook Member December 2008 December 2012 1

Olympic Games 2012: Religious Practice

Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what provision has been made to respond to demand for facilities to practise faith and prayer arising from the number of people visiting London for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: We aspire for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to be inclusive to all. The wide diversity of London was one of the bid's greatest strengths and will no doubt help us achieve this aspiration.
	Every organisation involved in the games has considered faith as part of their approach to diversity and inclusion. The Olympic Delivery Authority, the public body responsible for developing and building the venues and infrastructure for the games, has already produced inclusive design standards to guide construction contractors and sub-contractors. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games has set up a faith reference group for LOCOG to engage with all faith communities to build awareness and advise how best to cater for athletes, spectators, media and other client groups attending the games-including signposting visitors to existing facilities.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

English Heritage: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on the website of  (a) English Heritage,  (b) the Heritage Lottery Fund and  (c) the National Heritage Memorial Fund in each year since each was established.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The following information has been supplied by the organisations requested.
	
		
			   Total spend( 1)  (£) 
			  (a) English Heritage  
			 2001-02 98,943 
			 2002-03 142,170 
			 2003-04 196,760 
			 2004-05 222,973 
			 2005-06 224,126 
			 2006-07 189,662 
			 2007-08 269,596 
			 2008-09(2) 523,863 
			   
			  (b)  (c) Heritage Lottery Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund  
			 2002-03 23,797 
			 2003-043 133,232 
			 2004-05 41,441 
			 2005-06 15,119 
			 2006-07 24,569 
			 2007-08 16,612 
			 2008-09 34,611 
			 (1 )Does not include bespoke project costs. (2 )Includes a major project started in 2008-09 to redesign the English Heritage corporate website and change its underlying content management system. Due to go live in March 2010. (3 )Includes a re-design and new website build.

Sport England: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on the website of  (a) Sport England,  (b) UK Sport,  (c) the Football Foundation and  (d) the Youth Sports Trust in each year since each was established.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The information has been supplied by the organisations listed in the question.  (a) Sport England has provided the following information on their website spend since their records began in 2004-05:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total spend (£) 
			 2004-05 (1)375,373.45 
			 2005-06 104,772.41 
			 2006-07 55,204.38 
			 2007-08 22,560 
			 2008-09 (2)177,846.38 
			 (1) Includes start up costs (2) Following the 2008-09 redevelopment, the Sport England website has been modernised to ensure more cost efficient technologies and they anticipate that their day to day running costs will be reduced to roughly £25,000 per annum in future years. 
		
	
	 (b) UK Sport do not separate costs specifically for the website from wider e-communications. Information relating to spend on UK Sport's e-communications costs, including website maintenance, development and accessibility costs and other issues, is included in the table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total spend (£) 
			 2001-002 0 
			 2002-03 19,030.59 
			 2004-05 28,148.84 
			 2005-06 19,566.60 
			 2006-07 29,560.30 
			 2007-08 25,113 
			 2008-09 41,520.60 
		
	
	 (c) The Football Foundation has provided the figures in the table, relating to their website spend:
	
		
			  Calendar year  Total spend (£) 
			 2004 37,681.06 
			 2005 32,628.57 
			 2006 26,606.69 
			 2007 57,121.01 
			 2008 27,607.96 
			 2009 22,110.29 
		
	
	 (d) The Youth Sport Trust is an independent charity, rather than a non-departmental public body. The Youth Sport Trust has provided detail of expenditure on its website for the past five years:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total 
			 2005-06 21,700 
			 2006-07 9,600 
			 2007-08 30,000 
			 2008-09 44,500 
			 2009-10 40,000

UK Film Council: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on the website of the British Film Council in each year since it was established.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The UK Film Council (UKFC) has spent the following on its website:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2000-01 18,474.26 
			 2001-02 11,512.50 
			 2002-03 6,100.00 
			 2003-04 14,795.00 
			 2004-05 12,840.00 
			 2005-06 20,499.00 
			 2006-07 48,650.83 
			 2007-08 31,934.00 
			 2008-09 19,945.89 
			 2009-10 10,039.48 
			 Total cost to date 194,790.96 
		
	
	The costs listed above cover the full expenditure incurred by the UKFC to create and maintain its website. The site meets a set standard for accessibility.

World Heritage Sites

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the maintenance of world heritage sites in EU member states.

Margaret Hodge: Neither I or my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, have had recent discussions with our European counterparts on the maintenance of World Heritage sites in EU member states.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport Users' Council

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the average response time is for consumer enquiries made to the Air Transport Users' Council.

Paul Clark: Callers to the Air Transport Users' Council (AUC) advice line receive an immediate reply. Written correspondence is acknowledged within two days and a substantive reply is sent within five weeks.
	In 2008-09 the AUC handled 12,307 inquiries-5,953 in writing and 6,354 by telephone.

Aviation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what representations he has received on the effects on first person view flying of proposed air navigation order articles; and if he will hold discussions with the First Person View Flying Association on that matter.

Paul Clark: To date, we have received 14 representations about the effect of the proposed amendments to the Air Navigation Order on first person vision model flying. The British First Person View Model Flying Association has not requested a meeting on this subject. However, the Civil Aviation Authority and my officials would be pleased to meet them to discuss this issue.

Aviation: Safety

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent reports he has received on the incidence of aerotoxic syndrome in airline cabins.

Paul Clark: In its 2007 report on cabin air, the Committee on Toxicity (COT) said (paragraph 28):
	it was agreed that the term aerotoxic syndrome was unhelpful because the health problems described were variable between subjects.
	The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) keep abreast of news on aviation health. We have commissioned research by Cranfield university into cabin air quality aimed at filling a gap in knowledge.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps he plans to take to reduce the length of crossing times for the Dartford Crossing; and when he expects such steps to take effect.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport and the Highways Agency are committed to improving the levels of service experienced by users of the Dartford Crossing.
	In the short term the Highways Agency are in the process of implementing a package of measures, including the introduction of average speed cameras and further traffic management technology, to reduce the number of incidents at the Crossing, which will improve journey times.
	Additionally, in April 2009, the Department published its initial analysis of the current and possible future capacity constraints at the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing. On the basis of the findings and conclusions of the analysis, we announced further work to investigate what can be done in the short to medium term to improve the level of service provided by the existing Crossing.
	The study recommended further work on two possible measures, recognising that each had the potential to generate some small benefits by increasing throughput while avoiding impacts on safety. This work is being taken forward and is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete.

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Chris Mole: Royal Mail is the main provider of mail services to the Department for Transport.
	In addition the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has an annually renewable contract with Royal Mail for in-bound mail services, which has an expiry date of 15 August 2010.
	Mail Services are also provided to the Department by DX Network Services under two separate contracts expiring on 2 October 2010 and 31 August 2011.

Driving: Working Hours

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Employments Rights Act 1996 to extend the definition of Working Time Regulations to include the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is aware of the issue regarding a possible lack of provision in the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 for mobile workers to seek redress via employment tribunals.
	Departmental officials are exploring the implications of a change to the Employment Rights Act 1996, via an amendment to the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Tribunals Service.
	When all the facts are known, a formal decision will be made on whether changes are needed. Any proposals for change will need to be the subject of a consultation process.

Finsbury Park Station

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has made a recent assessment of levels of  (a) safety and  (b) accessibility at Finsbury Park station; and whether his Department has made a recent estimate of passenger numbers at that station.

Chris Mole: Annual safety assessment on the railway network is a function of Infrastructure Managers and Railway Undertakings as set out by the Railway and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS) and is overseen by the Office of Rail Regulation, not the Department for Transport.
	Reporting and estimating of annual passenger numbers at stations is also a function of the Office of Rail Regulation. However the Department is aware that approximately 5.2 million passenger entries/exits, and 2.4 million interchanges, were estimated at Finsbury Park for the 2007-08 period.
	The accessibility of Finsbury Park station was assessed by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) as part of the consultation strategy behind the Railways for All programme in 2005. The SRA concluded that the station did not meet current standards for accessibility and recommended that level access routes be provided to platforms serving passenger trains. Finsbury Park has since been targeted for investment under the Department's Access for All programme towards achieving this, but these plans have been delayed by the decision of London Underground Ltd. to postpone the provision of step free access to underground trains.

Railway Stations: Disabled

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what monitoring his Department undertakes of the construction of step-free access to interchange stations in London; how much funding his Department has allocated for that programme of work; and what recent assessment he has made of progress towards completion of that programme.

Chris Mole: 38 mainline rail stations in London boroughs have been included in the Access for All programme and are due to receive an accessible route to and between platforms serving passenger trains. Each of these sites has some interchange with the tube, Docklands Light Railway, buses or other modes of transport.
	Until detailed designs have been prepared for all these sites, it is too early to give an accurate estimate of the total investment required to deliver the work. However, the programme overall has a ring-fenced budget of £370 million until 2015.
	The projects are being delivered by Network Rail, and progress is monitored at monthly programme group meetings and through site visits by officials. Delivery on the programme has improved this year and we expect 11 stations in London boroughs to be completed during 2010.

Railway Stations: Passengers

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the maximum number of passengers is that can be accommodated at Euston station at any point consistent with safety requirements; and on how many occasions since 1 January 2009 this number has been  (a) reached and  (b) exceeded.

Chris Mole: Safety arrangements at Euston are covered by Network Rail's authorised safety management system and therefore this is an operational matter for Network Rail as the operator of Euston Station. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Railways: Contract Cleaning

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on the working conditions of contract cleaners providing services to train operating companies.

Chris Mole: At a recent meeting between the RMT Parliamentary Group and the Secretary of State for Transport, the issue of conditions of contract cleaners on Eurostar was raised. Ministers have also received correspondence in relation to the issue.

Railways: Electrification

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what capital funding he has allocated for the electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak railway line; and what his Department's most recent estimate is of the total cost of the project.

Chris Mole: In January 2009, the Department for Transport made an offer to contribute a capital sum towards the cost of the electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking line conditional on Transport for London taking forward the project, including working up a business case, finding the balance of the cost and bearing all risks.
	The Department's contribution could be up to £25 million, the amount depending on as yet undefined savings against the budget for the North London Line Camden Road freight scheme announced last year.
	Transport for London has since indicated that there is little likelihood that it could undertake to fund and bear the risks of the Gospel Oak to Barking electrification scheme. Although Network Rail and Transport for London have made preliminary cost estimates of this scheme, the Department has not done so.

Railways: Electrification

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with  (a) Transport for London and  (b) the Mayor of London on the electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak line.

Chris Mole: There have been a number of discussions between Department for Transport Ministers and both Transport for London officials and the Mayor of London on the electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak line. In addition there has been ongoing official engagement on the subject.

Railways: Franchises

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been  (a) received from and  (b) paid out to each train operating company under cap and collar franchise arrangements in each year since 2004.

Chris Mole: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The amounts paid out and received for franchises subject to cap and collar arrangements is set out in the following table. Complete data for the year ending 31 March 2010 will be available in summer 2010:
	
		
			  £  m illion 
			   Revenue share entitlement/(revenue support liability)  in March each year 
			  TOC  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Northern Rail - - - 6.3 7.8 
			 First Capital Connect - - - - - 
			 Stagecoach South Western (SSW) - - - - 1.5 
			 National Express East Anglia (NXEA) - - (3.4) - (14.0) 
			 First Greater Western - - - - (47.8) 
			 London Midland (LOM) - - - - 2.1 
			 Virgin West Coast (VWC) - - - - 33.0

Railways: Penalty Fares

John Stanley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will  (a) extend the deadline of 17 November 2009 and  (b) conduct a wider public consultation in respect of his consultation with the rail industry on penalty fares.

Chris Mole: holding answer 27 October 2009
	The documentation for the Department for Transport's consultation on the railway Penalty Fares Rules and Policy has today been published on the Department's website and the deadline for responses has been extended to 27 January 2010.

Railways: Penalty Fares

John Stanley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will publish a public consultation document setting out his proposals for the updating of the Penalty Fares Rules 2002.

Chris Mole: holding answer 27 October 2009
	The documentation relating to consultation on the railway Penalty Fares Rules and Penalty Fares Policy has today been published on the Department for Transport's website and the deadline for responses has been extended to 27 January 2010.

South London Railway Line

Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions his Department has had with  (a) Transport for London,  (b) London Travel Watch,  (c) the Mayor of London and  (d) other organisations on the proposed withdrawal of passenger rail services from the South London Line.

Chris Mole: This service change was consulted upon as part of the Department for Transport's May 2008 South Central Franchise Consultation. Transport for London, London TravelWatch and a number of other interested parties responded to this consultation. The proposed replacement of the London Victoria to London Bridge service was also consulted upon by Network Rail as part of the South London Line Route Utilisation Strategy (July 2007).
	The withdrawal of the planned replacement London Victoria to Bellingham service was requested by the Mayor of London and Transport for London with funds directed instead toward an extended East London line service. As a condition of this arrangement, the Department required Transport for London and the Mayor to keep stakeholders informed.

West Coast Railway Line: Speed Limits

Eric Martlew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there are plans to improve the signalling on the West Coast Main Line to enable 135 mph running speeds.

Chris Mole: The Government have no plans for 135 miles per hour (mph) running. The West Coast Main Line was recently modernised and resignalled to permit significantly more 125 mph operations across the route. This has significantly reduced journey times and provided more frequent services for millions of passengers every year.
	In January the Government established the High Speed Two company which, by the end of the year, will make a proposal for an entirely new line between London and the West Midlands and advise on the potential development of the high speed network to the north of England and Scotland.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Procurement

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what progress the Government Equalities Office has made in implementing the recommendations of the Glover Report in its procurement processes.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office has a two-fold interest in the recommendations of the Glover Report; both internally with regard to its own procurement processes and externally, with regard to reflecting its recommendations within the legislative and non-legislative equality in procurement work we lead on.
	On the former, we will act on Office of Government Commerce central guidance with regard to its implementation as it is rolled out.
	On the latter, and in our role as equality lead across government, GEO considers that the recommendations of the Glover Report are compatible with the equality principles expressed around procurement and are engaged with OGC in progressing the initiatives.

WALES

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff of his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: One member of staff (less than 2 per cent. of the staff employed in the Wales Office) works from home twice weekly.

TREASURY

Business: Taxation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small businesses  (a) in Coventry and  (b) in the UK have applied to defer their tax payments over the financial year under the Government's late payment scheme.

Stephen Timms: Since its introduction on 24 November 2008 the Business Payment Support Service has agreed over 220,300 times to pay arrangements in the UK with businesses to spread tax payments of about £3.9 billion. This has helped to support more than 150,000 businesses, the vast majority of which are small and medium sized, and employ an estimated 600,000 people. Over 90 per cent. of the value of arrangements is being paid on time without prompting.
	Figures for Coventry show that nearly 840 arrangements have been agreed worth £18 million. HM Revenue and Customs does not have the specific number of small businesses as the service is open to all sizes of business and some businesses might have more than one agreement to spread payments of more than one type of tax.

Child Care Vouchers

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of parents receiving childcare vouchers from employers who pay income tax at the basic rate.

Stephen Timms: Published research, commissioned by HM Revenue and Customs in 2006, by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) found that 70 per cent. of the recipients of child care vouchers were basic rate taxpayers in late 2005. The report is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/research-report23.htm
	30 per cent. of child care voucher recipients were higher rate taxpayers, who account for 6 per cent. of parents. This group also receive a proportionally higher amount of the relief that goes to parents through Employer Supported Childcare due to their higher marginal tax rates.

Child Trust Fund: Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the Child Trust Fund in each year between 2010-11 and 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The latest projections for the Exchequer cost of the Child Trust Fund are given in the HMRC publication Child Trust Fund Statistical Report 2009, available via the HMRC website.

Economic Growth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of economic growth in each of the next 12 months.

Ian Pearson: The Government set out its latest assessment of UK economic developments and prospects in Budget 2009 (HC 407). We will produce updated forecasts in the pre-Budget report as normal.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has for the future level of gold reserves held by the Government.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the Government statement of March 2004. The position has not changed.
	http://www.hm_treasury.gov.uk/press_23_04.htm

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on the level of gold reserves held by the Government.

Ian Pearson: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has regular discussions on all aspects of reserve management.

Inflation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the projected inflation rate in each of the next 12 months.

Ian Pearson: The Budget 2009 forecast is for the consumer prices index (CPI) inflation rate to fall to 1 per cent. by the end of 2009, and remain below target in 2010. CPI inflation is forecast to return close to target during 2011 with the lagged effects of monetary policy easing continuing to feed through. Updated forecasts for inflation will be published later this autumn in the pre-Budget report, as is usual practice.
	The Government do not publish a monthly forecast for the inflation rate.

Northern Rock

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of former shareholders of Northern Rock; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Northern Rock: Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 548W, on Northern Rock: compensation, if he will publish the submissions made by the Government to the Northern Rock independent valuer.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government have made submissions to the Northern Rock independent valuer, as have other parties who will be affected by the outcome of the valuation exercise. It will be for the independent valuer to decide how far he publishes the contents of submissions he has received.

Presbyterian Mutual Society

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the time taken by the Prime Minister's Working Group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society to report its conclusions.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Working Group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society will report its conclusions to the Prime Minister when all options have been fully considered.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of delaying until April 2011 the proposed changes to the furnished holiday letting rules to undertake a consultation.

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to delaying the proposed revision of the Furnished Holiday Lettings rules until after April 2010 in order to consult with the tourism industry.

Stephen Timms: The Government announced the withdrawal of the furnished holiday lettings scheme from 2010 in Budget 2009 to allow those affected time to plan. This change was necessary because the furnished holiday lettings rules may not be compliant with EU law. It is therefore not appropriate to consult on whether a change should be made.
	Draft legislation and an impact assessment will be published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report. The Government will be happy to receive comments at that time.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people were granted relief under the furnished holiday letting rules in respect of an occupancy rate claim of  (a) 10,  (b) 15,  (c) 20 and  (d) 25 weeks and over in the 2007-08 tax year;
	(2)  what taxation arrangements will apply to owners of  (a) self-catering cottages and  (b) bed and breakfast establishments following the proposed changes to the furnished holiday letting rules.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1413W, to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik).

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many owners of holiday cottages in the UK who are in the European Economic Area claimed tax relief under the furnished holiday letting rules in the 2007-08 tax year.

Stephen Timms: Non-UK residents are not eligible to claim tax relief under the furnished holiday lettings rules.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue accrued to the Exchequer under the furnished holiday letting rules in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of revenue under such rules in each year to 2012.

Stephen Timms: The estimated taxable profits from 1996-97 to 2007-08 for those who made a net profit on furnished holiday lettings is shown in the following table. Following the changes announced at Budget 2009, figures for tax years 2006-07 and 2007-08 include profits from furnished property lettings within the European Economic Area. The revenue accruing to the Exchequer would depend on the marginal rate of each taxpayer, which depends on their specific circumstances.
	
		
			   Profits from FHL properties (£million) 
			 1996-97 60 
			 1997-98 60 
			 1998-99 60 
			 1999-2000 70 
			 2000-01 70 
			 2001-02 70 
			 2002-03 80 
			 2003-04 90 
			 2004-05 90 
			 2005-06 90 
			 2006-07 100 
			 2007/08 140 
		
	
	No estimates are available for later years.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of holiday cottages which will be affected by the proposed changes to the furnished holiday lettings rules.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Opik) on 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1413W.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to raise the occupancy threshold for eligibility rules in relation to furnished holiday lettings.

Stephen Timms: There are no plans to raise the occupancy threshold for eligibility in relation to the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) rules. It was announced at Budget 2009 that the FHL rules would be repealed with effect from April 2010.
	Draft legislation and an impact assessment will be published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report. The Government will be happy to receive comments at that time.

Taxation: South West

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) individuals,  (b) businesses,  (c) estates and  (d) other bodies in (i) Cornwall and (ii) the Isles of Scilly have paid in tax in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: Information on individual taxpayers resident on the Isles of Scilly is not available as the sample size is too small to provide reliable estimates of income tax liability. Aggregate figures for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are shown in table 3.14 Income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm
	It is not possible to provide reliable estimates for revenue received from other taxpayers at this geographical level for the following reasons:
	a company's registered office may not reflect where economic activity occurs as companies may have business premises or trade anywhere;
	VAT registration addresses may not match the location the trader operates from, for example a chain would only have one VAT registration covering all its branches; and
	not all Inheritance Tax returns have a postcode, national estimates based on a sample of data.

Welfare Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) mean and  (b) median income of tax credit claimants was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Tax credits are a carefully targeted system of support that provides the greatest help to families on the lowest incomes. Over 75 per cent. of tax credit support to in-work families in 2007-08 went to families earning under £20,000. Families on higher incomes also receive support, but this is reduced in value through tapering.
	The targeted nature of tax credits is reflected in the following table, which shows the mean and median annual household income of in-work families benefiting from tax credits for each year between 2003-04 and 2007-08.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Mean income  Median income 
			 2003-04 23,689 23,828 
			 2004-05 22,663 22,021 
			 2005-06 22,868 22,228 
			 2006-07 23,401 22,509 
			 2007-08 23,599 22,643 
		
	
	This information is based on the annual household income used to calculate the tax credit award but excluding the income disregard. Detailed information on what type of income is taken into account for tax credit purposes is published in the leaflet Child and Working Tax Credit-a guide, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/forms-and-leaflets/leaflets.htm
	The same information for out of work families is not available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States administration on proposals to close the Guantánamo Bay detention camp.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have long called for the closure of Guantánamo Bay and we have welcomed US President Barack Obama's commitment to close the facility. We recognise that there are important practical challenges to overcome in working for the closure of Guantánamo Bay, and these issues are discussed in the context of our ongoing dialogue with the US on a range of human rights, counter terrorism and international legal issues.
	We will continue to discuss with the US government how best we can work with them, and our European partners, to achieve closure in a manner that ensures both human rights and potential security concerns posed in determining the disposition of the detainees are appropriately addressed.

Africa: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of  (a) Sudan,  (b) South Sudan,  (c) Uganda and  (d) Democratic Republic of Congo on the current level of activity of the Lords Resistance Army.

Chris Bryant: The UK regularly discusses Lords Resistance Army (LRA) activity with the government of Uganda and stresses the importance of continued regional co-operation to deal with the threat and civilian protection from LRA attacks. At the recent UN General Assembly Ministerial week, my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Mr. Lewis), discussed the LRA with Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa.
	Our posts in Kampala, Juba, Khartoum, and Kinshasa continue to monitor the situation closely, and have raised the issue with other interested parties, including the UN and host governments.
	In addition, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Conflict Resolution Mechanisms, Jack McConnell MSP, discussed LRA activity during his recent visit to Goma, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Burma

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on EU sanctions on Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed this issue with his French counterpart at a meeting on 6 July 2009 during the Anglo-French Summit.
	France has consistently given its support to calls for the immediate, unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi, together with all other political prisoners in Burma, and agreed that the EU should respond with additional, targeted financial and other measures when the guilty verdict was delivered in the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 August 2009.
	Most recently, the Foreign Secretary and the French Foreign Minister were present at the UN meeting on Burma chaired by the Secretary-General on 23 September 2009.

Colombia: Foreign Relations

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 377W, on Colombia: foreign relations, on what occasions in the last 12 months the British Ambassador in Bogota has met the Colombian Foreign Minister to discuss  (a) bilateral relations and  (b) broader global issues.

Chris Bryant: Our ambassador in Bogota has met with the Colombian Foreign Minister on numerous occasions over the last 12 months. The most recent substantive meeting was on 22 October 2009.

Departmental Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 70W, on the Diplomatic Service: databases, for what reason his Department's online registration and crisis database does not break down registrations on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s overseas online registration and crisis database, LOCATE, was designed primarily as a crisis tool. As such it breaks down registrations by countries, by regions or by districts-all of which enables FCO staff to assess the number of British nationals potentially affected in an emergency.
	We are examining the costs and benefits of introducing a feature that enables the FCO to track the number of registrations on a yearly basis. The cost of implementation needs to be balanced against other crisis requirements.

Honduras: Politics and Government

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of the political situation in Honduras; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK condemned the removal of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, in June. Since then, along with our EU partners, we have been actively supporting the regionally-led negotiation process to resolve the crisis, notably mediation efforts led by President Arias of Costa Rica and the Organisation of American States.
	We are pleased that recent developments in the process signal a willingness by representatives of President Zelaya and the de facto government to come to a resolution ahead of the presidential elections later this month. We welcome, in particular, the signing of an accord on 30 October 2009 that could lead to the establishment of a power sharing government, and a return to democratic, constitutional order in the country. We understand that this agreement still needs to be considered by the Supreme Court and Congress in Tegucigalpa.

Kosovo: Politics and Government

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) security and  (b) political situation in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: There has been a steady improvement of the security environment in Kosovo over the last 18 months and, although there have been minor security incidents during that period, Kosovo remains stable. Against this background, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Defence Ministers agreed in June this year to start transitioning NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) to a deterrent presence. EULEX, the EU Rule of Law Mission, providing policing, customs and justice sector support, has been operating at full operational capacity since April.
	Since independence, Kosovo has made steady progress in establishing the legal and institutional framework set out in the Comprehensive Settlement Proposal of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, including in relation to safeguarding the rights of Kosovo's Serb population, and other minority groups.
	Kosovo's longer term sustainability and prosperity depends on its EU perspective. The Government fully support the proposals put forward by the European Commission in its study entitled 'Kosovo-Fulfilling its European Perspective', published on 14 October 2009. It is also vital that Kosovo's government addresses the concerns about governance and the rule of law expressed in the European Commission's Progress Report published on the same date.
	Kosovo is currently preparing to hold municipal elections on 15 November 2009. Together with partners, we will be contributing to international monitoring of the elections.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the security situation in Pakistan.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 2 November 2009
	There has been a series of deadly terrorist attacks across Pakistan over the last few weeks. On 2 November 2009, a bomb exploded outside the National Bank in Rawalpindi, with initial reports of 22 people killed and over 40 injured. On 28 October 2009, at least 100 people were killed and over 200 injured in a car bomb attack in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province. Other recent targets have included the UN World Food Programme and the Pakistan Army general headquarters in Rawalpindi. These attacks have been linked to the launching of Pakistan Army operations against Pakistan Taliban militants in South Waziristan.
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated on 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 300, we will continue to work closely with Pakistan to counter the threat to both Pakistan and the UK from violent extremism.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Pakistan on freedom of religion in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We continue to urge the government of Pakistan to fully guarantee the fundamental rights of all Pakistani citizens, particularly the most vulnerable (women, minorities and children) as laid down in the constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.
	The UK supports freedom of religion and condemns instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief. With our EU partners, we have raised our concerns over the situation of religious minorities in Pakistan and the frequent abuse of the blasphemy legislation.

Shaker Aamer

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States administration on Guantánamo detainee  (a) Shaker Aamer and  (b) Ahmed Belbacha.

Ivan Lewis: On recent discussions with the US administration on Shaker Aamer, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 34W.
	The Government's decision to make representation to the US for the release and return of former residents from Guantanamo Bay was limited to those with links to the UK as evidenced by their past lawful residence here. This does not include Ahmed Belbacha because, although he was present in the UK for a time, he was not here lawfully.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on the sexual abuse of children in camps for internally displaced persons in that country;
	(2)  what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on violence against women in camps for internally displaced persons in that country;
	(3)  what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on trends in the level of prostitution in camps for internally displaced persons in that country.

Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has consistently advocated for the treatment of all internally displaced persons (IDPs) held in camps in Sri Lanka to be in accordance with international standards. We continue to press the Government of Sri Lanka to allow humanitarian agencies access to the camps to assess allegations of abuses such as violence against women, the sexual abuse of children and enforced prostitution.
	The most effective way to ensure the safety of women and children displaced by the conflict is to restore freedom of movement to the IDP population. I visited Sri Lanka in early October and urged Government representatives to allow freedom of movement and abide by their own commitment to return 80 per cent. of the IDPs to their homes by the end of the year. On my return, I discussed these issues with the deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka in London. I welcome the recent progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka in returning the IDPs currently held in camps to their areas of origin.
	Since September 2008, the Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated £12.5 million of humanitarian aid to assist those displaced by the conflict in Sri Lanka. This has included support to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to undertake child protection campaigns in the IDP camps. A full breakdown of funding can be found at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/srilankacrisis

Turks and Caicos Islands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 9WS, on the Turks and Caicos Islands, when the  (a) advisory group and  (b) consultative forum last met; and if he will publish the minutes of each meeting.

Chris Bryant: The Advisory Council last met on 28 October 2009 and the Consultative Forum on 20 October 2009. The formal minutes of the Advisory Council are not made public, but the Turks and Caicos Islands Government Information Service issues a press release summarising the Council's discussions after each meeting. It is hoped that these will be available on the Turks and Caicos Islands Government website
	www.tcgov.tc
	shortly.
	There is currently no transcript of the meetings of the Consultative Forum, but the proceedings are recorded and are broadcast live on local radio.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on the promotion of micro-generation projects powered by  (a) bio-diesel produced from used cooking oil and  (b) other waste-derived products.

Joan Ruddock: The Government recognise the contribution which waste-derived products, including those from used cooking oil, can make to our renewable energy targets and to the effective management of waste. We will consider further the position of these types of production under the various financial incentives for renewable energy, and will make specific proposals on their use for heating in the forthcoming consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Climate Change: EU Action

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the establishment of a European Commission Directorate General for energy and climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 3 November 2009
	 The formation of DECC last year emphasised the Government's belief that energy and climate change policies are inextricably linked. This applies equally at an EU level where it is vital that these policy areas are taken forward together and that, in particular, all necessary links are made between policy makers in the European Commission in order to deliver shared objectives. This is more important than the organisational structure of directorates general per se.

Departmental Recruitment

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many posts in his Department which were initially advertised six months or more ago are still  (a) vacant and  (b) unconfirmed.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The information on posts advertised six or more months ago is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Energy: Companies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from  (a) Landis and Gyr Group,  (b) African Minerals (UK) Ltd.,  (c) Eastern Petroleum Corporation Ltd.,  (d) Gulf Keystone Petroleum (UK) Ltd.,  (e) Torftech Ltd. and  (f) VAL Energy since 1 April 2008.

Joan Ruddock: Since the creation of DECC officials in the Department have met representatives from Landis and Gyr to discuss smart metering and demand side response. There have been bilateral meetings and the company has been represented, with other stakeholders, at presentations and workshops supporting smart meter policy and demand side response development.
	We have no records in DECC of any contact with African Minerals Ltd., Eastern Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd., Torftech Ltd. or VAL Energy.

Renewable Energy

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to lay before Parliament for approval a draft of the proposed Renewables Obligation Order 2010.

Joan Ruddock: Amendments to the Renewables Obligation Order 2009 will be laid before Parliament for approval by February 2010.

Renewable Energy: EC Law

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the implications of the implementation of the EU Renewable Energy Directive for the operation of the renewables obligation in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: DECC officials are currently scoping the implications of the Renewable Energy Directive across all areas. The directive includes sustainability criteria for biofuels and bioliquids, and also sets a requirement on the European Commission to report on the need for sustainability criteria for solid biomass used for electricity and heat generation by the end of the year. At this point officials can begin the work to ensure that the Renewables Obligation is compliant.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the interaction between the Renewables Obligation and the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 3 November 2009
	As part of their work to implement the renewable energy directive, officials from DECC are working with officials from the Department for Transport to ensure that the renewables obligation and the renewable transport fuel obligation-as well as the feed-in tariffs and renewable heat incentive to be introduced in 2010 and 2011 respectively-provide a coherent financial incentive framework for the use of biomass-based technologies in delivering our renewable energy targets.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the Government's cross-departmental approach to the promotion of the use of renewable energy in transport.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 3 November 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on a wide variety of issues, through the normal course of Government business. In addition, since the publication of the Renewable Energy Strategy, and the creation of the Office for Renewable Energy Deployment within DECC, our officials meet frequently to discuss the delivery of the renewable energy directive. Cross-Government working groups are in place for the delivery of the renewable energy directive, for biofuels policy and for biofuels research.

JUSTICE

Coroner Service

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make provision for extra staff to be assigned to the office of HM Coroner for Wiltshire to process the outstanding inquests into the deaths of service personnel overseas.

Bridget Prentice: Operational matters such as the provision of staff and other resources are matters for local agreement between coroners and their local authorities. However, an exceptional burden has been created in the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner's district by the repatriation to RAF Lyneham since 1 April 2007 of service personnel who have, sadly, lost their lives in the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In recognition of this, central funding is being provided by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence. In 2007-08 £126,000 was provided centrally, and in 2008-09 a further £190,000 was provided. Estimated spend by the two Departments in the current financial year is £200,000. A recent request from Wiltshire county council for additional funding this year is currently being considered.

Mentally Disturbed Offenders

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on each research project relating to personality disorder amongst offenders in each year since 1999; and what publications resulted from research  (a) commissioned and  (b) funded by his Department.

Claire Ward: The projects and costs of personality disorder research attributable to the Ministry of Justice and previously the Home Office are set out in the following tables.
	A web reference is included where research reports have been published and are readily available.
	Further information on DSPD research projects and publications is available at:
	www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk
	
		
			  Personality disorder related research projects 2000-09 
			  £ 
			  Project title  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Literature Review of Treatments for Personality Disorder 15,000 46,000 - - - - - 
			 Evaluation Of The DSPD Assessment Process Evaluation (IMPALOX) 67,000 100,000 236,000 135,000 34,000 134,000 31,000 
			 Fitting The Right People For The Job - 55,000 27,000 27,000 - - - 
			 Landscaped - Random Controlled Trials For Personality Disordered Patients - 24,000 35,000 37,000 - - - 
			 DSPD Lifer Study: Release, Resettlement  Recall - 22,000 22,000 11,000 - - - 
			 Prisoner Cohort Study - 251,000 61,000 630,000 253,000 88,000 101,000 
			 Random Controlled Trials Feasibility Study For Dialectical Behavioural Therapy - 14,000 4,000 - - - - 
			 DSPD Lifer Study: DLP Study - - 90,000 22,000 - - - 
			 The Provision Of The Functional Link Between Risk  Personality Disorder - - 18,000 36,000 18,000 - - 
			 Assessment Of DSPD In Learning Difficulties Population - - 22,000 90,000 - - - 
			 Links Between Juvenile Sexual Offending  DSPD - Young Abusers Project (YAP) - - 13,000 42,000 38,000 35,000 - 
			 Developmental Pathways Of Psychopathic Tendencies In Children - - - 30,000 24,000 18,000 - 
			 A Longitudinal Study of Clinical, Genetic  Environmental Risk Factors for Juvenile Anti-Social Personality Disorder in a High Risk Group - - - 37,000 27,000 10,000 - 
			 Pilot Case Control Study of an Intensive Multi Modal Cognitive Behavioural Programme for Adolescent Offenders in Secure Care - - - 24,000 24,000 24,000 - 
			 Measuring Changes in Psychopathic Characteristics - - - 22,000 55,000 88,000 55,000 
			 A Pilot Study of A New Intervention for Hard to Treat Children with Conduct Disorder - - - 7,000 14,000 14,000 12,000 
			 Evaluation of A Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the Personality Disorder Service at Ashworth Hospital - - - - 90,000 57,000 54,000 
			 Inclusion for DSPD: Evaluating Assessment  Treatment (IDEA) - - - - - 163,000 343,000 
			 CRACMS Evaluation - - - - - 25,000 - 
			 Costs and Outcomes of DSPD Services (CODES) - - - - - - 35,000 
			 O  M Study - MEMOS - - - - - - 30,000 
			 Neurobiological Aetiology of Violence - - - - - - 12,000 
			 Feasibility of using neural networks in risk assessment - - - - - - - 
			 Total 82,000 512,000 528,000 1,150,000 577,000 656,000 673,000 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			  Project title  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  Total  Publication  Link 
			 Literature Review of Treatments for Personality Disorder - - - 61,000 published http://www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk/publications.html 
			 Evaluation of the DSPD Assessment Process Evaluation (IMPALOX) 4,000 - - 741,000 published http://www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk/publications.html 
			 Fitting The Right People For The Job - - - 109,000 published http://www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk/publications.html 
			 Landscaped - Random Controlled Trials For Personality Disordered Patients - - - 96,000 published http://www.nfmhp.org.uk/ 
			 DSPD Lifer Study: Release, Resettlement  Recall - - - 55,000 results fed into publications in The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 2007, Vol.190  
			 Prisoner Cohort Study - - - 1,384,000 published http://www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk/publications.html 
			 Random Controlled Trials Feasibility Study For Dialectical Behavioural Therapy - - - 18,000 published http://www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk/publications.html 
			 DSPD Lifer Study: DLP Study - - - 112,000 published http://www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk/publications.html 
			 The Provision Of The Functional Link Between Risk  Personality Disorder - - - 72,000 results fed into publications in The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 2007, Vol.190  
			 Assessment Of DSPD In Learning Difficulties Population - - - 112,000 published numerous publications resulting from this work http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/psychology/staff/2067.asp 
			 Links Between Juvenile Sexual Offending  DSPD - Young Abusers Project (YAP) - - - 128,000 published http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/ Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4140126 
			 Developmental Pathways Of Psychopathic Tendencies In Children - - - 72,000 published numerous published articles, including one by Essi Viding, Paul J. Frick and Robert Plomin in Supplement 49 (May 2007, Vol.190) of the British Journal of Psychiatry. 
			 A Longitudinal Study of Clinical, Genetic  Environmental Risk Factors for Juvenile Anti-Social Personality Disorder in a High Risk Group - - - 74,000 published http://www.nfmhp.org.uk/ 
			 Pilot Case Control Study of an Intensive Multi Modal Cognitive Behavioural Programme for Adolescent Offenders in Secure Care - - - 72,000 published http://www.nfmhp.org.uk/ 
			 Measuring Changes in Psychopathic Characteristics - - - 220,000 results fed into publications in The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 2007, Vol.190, Supplement 49  
			 A Pilot Study of A New Intervention for Hard to Treat Children with Conduct Disorder - - - 47,000 published http://www.nfmhp.org.uk/ 
			 Evaluation of A Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the Personality Disorder Service at Ashworth Hospital 54,000 64,000 - 319,000 publication expected 2010  
			 Inclusion for DSPD: Evaluating Assessment  Treatment (IDEA) 343,000 252,000 237,000 1,338,000 project ongoing  
			 CRACMS Evaluation - - 38,000 63,000 project ongoing  
			 Costs and Outcomes of DSPD Services (CODES) 2,000 - - 37,000 project ongoing  
			 O  M Study - MEMOS 120,000 140,000 40,000 330,000 project ongoing  
			 Neurobiological Aetiology of Violence 50,000 50,000 37,000 149,000 publication expected 2010  
			 Feasibility of using neural networks in risk assessment - 38,000 38,000 76,000 publication expected 2010  
			 Total 573,000 544,000 390,000 5,685,000   
			  Notes: 1. The figures shown are based on administrative data. Although care has been taken in compiling the figures a degree of inaccuracy is inherent in all administrative recording systems. 2. There is no information available for 1999-2000. 3. It was not possible to check all publications in the time available. Some research projects have resulted in a considerable number of related publications in academic journals. 4. In some cases projects were co-funded with other departments. The data presented reflect only Ministry of Justice (or previously Home Office) costs. 5. All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

National Archives

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of recent staff re-organisations at junior levels at the National Archives on the services the Archives provide to the public; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The National Archives has recently implemented a package of measures to make the savings required to ensure that they can live within their budget. In order to make these savings, the number of posts in the organisation has been reduced by 10 per cent., with half of these savings made through freezing vacancies, and the rest through restructuring to reduce the levels of management and administrative posts. This re-organisation has enabled the National Archives to make savings in back office functions and avoid reducing the quality of its services to the public, as seen in the continued 90 per cent. public satisfaction rates for its onsite services over the last two quarters. The National Archives has also increased by one the number of specialist posts providing expert support to researchers. There have been no compulsory redundancies, and the savings have been applied at senior as well as junior levels. I continue to receive regular reports from the National Archives regarding the provision of all its public services. Based on this, I am assured the restructuring will enable the National Archives to continue to meet its running costs and maintain the quality of its services.

National Archives

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of the recent refurbishment of reading rooms at the National Archives; and what proportion of the cost was met from  (a) Exchequer and  (b) grant funding.

Michael Wills: The National Archives' public reading rooms were refurbished in 2008 in part to accommodate the services previously offered at the Family Records Centre, the relocation of which brought all services together under one roof and saved the National Archives over £1 million per year in the rent of a separate building. The cost of the refurbishment was £2.5 million, all of which was met from the Exchequer. The National Archives did not receive any additional funding for this project from the Exchequer above their existing budget.

National Archives

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what comprehensive  (a) race equality and  (b) gender equality assessments were undertaken as part of the most recent restructuring exercise at the National Archives.

Michael Wills: Management at the National Archives produced a comprehensive equality impact assessment and staffing profile in preparation for the public and trade union consultation launched on 29 June 2009. This contained information on part-time workers, gender, disability and ethnic origin and was shared with the trade unions. The National Archives continues to update the trade unions with monthly meetings, and continues to provide openly the information it collects.

National Archives: Pay

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appointments to posts at the National Archives were made at a starting salary above the advertised  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum for the posts in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: Since February 2008, the National Archives, out of 245 appointments, has appointed 20 staff at a starting salary above the advertised minimum and five above the advertised maximum salary bands. The National Archives only retains data relating to appointments for 18 months.

National Archives: Pay

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the National Archives spent on staff salaries in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: Cost of staff salaries for each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 20,769,000 
			 2007-08 23,769,000 
			 2008-09 26,537,000 
		
	
	These figures are cash amounts for each year, and include contractors and agency staff employed on externally funded projects, as well as cover for permanent staff.
	The figures for 2006-07 include costs for the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) for the second half of the financial year. OPSI staff joined the National Archives' payroll on 1 November 2006.
	The figures for 2007-08 include OPSI for the full year, and staff from the Statute Law Database (SLD) who joined the National Archives on 12 December 2008.
	The figures for 2008-09 include OPSI, SLD and externally funded project staff for Digital Continuity and the Civil Pages project.

Offences Against Children: Prosecutions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1145W, on offences against children: convictions, how many people were prosecuted for sexual offences against persons under the age of 18 years in 2008; and how many such prosecutions resulted in a conviction.

Claire Ward: Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	The Ministry of Justice had pre-announced, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, that the following publications would be released in November 2009:
	Criminal statistics 2008
	Sentencing statistics 2008 (annual publication)
	Women and the criminal justice system
	Since announcing these dates, data quality issues were encountered. To allow sufficient time to resolve these issues all three publications were delayed until January 2010. An update on the delay of these statistical publications was released on the Ministry of Justice website on 9 October:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/latest-updates/announcement081009a.htm

Office of the Public Guardian

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to move the premises of the Office of the Public Guardian from Archway Tower; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: As part of its programme of change and improvement, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has over the past 12 months taken a phased approach to moving functions out of London. In doing so it has sought to capitalise on existing Ministry of Justice buildings and staff where possible.
	The first office outside London opened in Birmingham in the spring of this year. A second office, in Nottingham, has recently commenced operation and functions will continue to migrate there over the next four months.
	No further decisions as to timing and location of future moves have been taken. OPG aims to have reduced its presence in London to a necessary minimum over the next two to three years.
	The OPG engages actively with staff and trade unions regarding its change plans. Appropriate impact assessments are made. Staff impact is managed in line with the Ministry of Justice Managing Organisational Change Framework.

Prisoners Release

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were released on  (a) temporary release licence,  (b) home detention curfew,  (c) early release and  (d) juvenile temporary release in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many people were released from prison on  (a) resettlement day release,  (b) resettlement overnight release,  (c) placements with community service volunteers,  (d) placements with the Prince's Trust,  (e) childcare resettlement leave,  (f) special purpose licence,  (g) compassionate and  (h) marriage of the offender in 2008.

Maria Eagle: Figures on the number of releases from prison establishments on temporary licence (ROTL) and Home Detention Curfew (HDC) are published annually in Offender Management Caseload Statistics. Copies are in the House of Commons Libraries and on the MoJ website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	Data on the categories of ROTL are not recorded precisely in the form specified in the question. Prisoners may be released on temporary licence on more than one occasion. The statistics relate to the number of licences granted rather than the number of prisoners released. The recorded categories are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 All licences 400,238 441,167 439,294 
			 Special Purpose 10,396 11,127 12,862 
			 Carer 940 1,603 1,999 
			 Deaths 304 289 305 
			 Family needs 467 409 337 
			 Legal 641 581 608 
			 Medical 8,044 8,245 9,613 
			 
			  Resettlement Day Release 385,532 422,813 414,512 
			 Accommodation 217 282 241 
			 Family ties 18,146 21,666 22,350 
			 Religious Service 2,718 2,567 3,443 
			 Training and education 59,251 63,953 59,540 
			 Working out 250,971 278,406 272,338 
			 Other resettlement 54,229 55,939 56,600 
			 
			  Childcare Resettlement 497 313 320 
			  Resettlement Overnight Release 3,813 6,914 11,599 
			  Note: The total for 2008 includes one uncategorised ROTL 
		
	
	The number of licences for under 18s released on ROTL from prison, which is a subset of the totals from the table, in 2006 was 1,180, in 2007 was 805 and in 2008 was l,499.
	The number of releases on HDC, one form of early release, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number released on HDC 
			 2006 13,666 
			 2007 11,428 
			 2008 11,721 
		
	
	Figures on the number of releases on End of Custody Licence (ECL), another form of early release, are published monthly on the MoJ website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	ECL was introduced on the 29 of June 2007. Between the start of the scheme and 31 December 2007, 16,197 prisoners were released on ECL. In 2008, 31,318 prisoners were released. Between 1 January and 30 September 2009, 22,362 prisoners were released on ECL.
	All these figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Secure Accommodation: Young Offender Institutions

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of placing remanded children in secure training centres was in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what proportion of that cost was met by the Youth Justice Board.

Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board calculates annual figures for the cost of places in the under-18 secure estate. As at 1 April 2009, the average cost of placing a young person remanded to custody in a secure training centre was £209,000 per annum (excluding VAT). The Youth Justice Board contributes two thirds of the cost and the young person's home local authority contributes the remaining third plus an administrative fee.
	The average cost of placing a remanded young person in a secure training centre is higher than for sentenced young people due to a differential in the economic cost of delivering the two regimes. The additional cost also reflects the fact that remanded young people have to be accommodated separately from sentenced trainees.

Secure Accommodation: Young Offender Institutions

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Youth Justice Board pays per person for a place in  (a) a secure training centre,  (b) a young offenders institution and  (c) a local authority secure children's home.

Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board calculates annual figures for the cost of places in the three types of establishment in the under-18 secure estate. As at 1 April 2009, these were as follows:
	
		
			   Average annual cost per place (£000) 
			 Secure children's home 215 
			 Secure training centre 160 
			 Young offender institution 60 
			  Note: These figures are the average costs per place and include places for both remanded and sentenced young people. VAT is not included within these figures.

Young Offenders

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many 10 to 12 year-olds were convicted of each category of criminal offence in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of 10 to 12-year-olds found guilty at all courts in England and Wales from 1997 to 2007 (latest available), broken down by offence type, can be viewed in the following table.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants aged 10 to 12 found guilty at all courts for all offences, broken down by offence type, England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2) 
			  Offence type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Violence against the person 73 96 114 130 151 177 174 160 168 156 142 
			 Sexual offences 16 11 20 10 21 27 10 22 23 20 26 
			 Burglary 240 314 356 313 321 336 264 279 283 233 217 
			 Robbery 68 64 78 78 129 113 118 134 89 97 141 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 562 840 951 936 914 767 719 715 685 623 710 
			 Fraud and forgery 2 3 16 13 8 17 4 10 12 8 11 
			 Criminal damage 101 137 218 202 231 234 218 212 230 192 226 
			 Drug offences 2 6 12 12 33 26 32 31 29 23 22 
			 Other indictable offences 39 47 70 79 72 79 77 68 65 67 59 
			 Indictable motoring offences 3 1 7 4 5 6 4 3 1 0 3 
			 Summary offences (excluding motoring) 384 598 881 1,051 1,129 1,048 1,092 1,173 1,256 1,237 1,237 
			 Summary motoring offences 36 52 61 47 72 56 74 67 54 62 63 
			 All offences 1,526 2,169 2,784 2,875 3,086 2,886 2,786 2,874 2,895 2,718 2,857 
			 (1 )The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis Unit-Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Young People: Remand in Custody

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children have been placed in each secure training centre by local authorities whilst on remand in each month in the last two years.

Maria Eagle: The decision as to whether to remand a young person under 18 to custody is entirely for the courts. The Youth Justice Board has the authority to place young people into custody, including secure training centres, on behalf of the Secretary of State. The table sets out the number of occasions on which young people have been remanded to secure training centres between September 2007 and August 2009.
	The data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and are drawn from administrative computer systems. As with any large scale recording system, the data are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	
		
			   Secure training centre 
			   Hassockfield  Medway  Oakhil l  Rainsbrook 
			 September 2007 1 7 1 7 
			 October 2007 3 4 2 5 
			 November 2007 7 5 6 3 
			 December 2007 8 5 2 6 
			 January 2008 6 3 13 7 
			 February 2008 4 5 7 14 
			 March 2008 8 4 0 8 
			 April 2008 3 5 0 4 
			 May 2008 5 4 7 2 
			 June 2008 4 3 3 7 
			 July 2008 5 8 9 7 
			 August 2008 9 6 12 8 
			 September 2008 5 4 6 10 
			 October 2008 7 5 16 9 
			 November 2008 4 4 11 10 
			 December 2008 4 3 7 3 
			 January 2009 6 6 18 8 
			 February 2009 3 3 15 9 
			 March 2009 7 2 11 12 
			 April 2009 7 2 9 9 
			 May 2009 11 7 9 10 
			 June 2009 7 10 11 12 
			 July 2009 10 2 13 9 
			 August 2008 9 2 14 4

HEALTH

Abortion

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many legal abortions for women in each age group were performed on each statutory ground in each year since 1979; and what the age standardised rate of legal abortions performed on each statutory ground was in each of those years.

Gillian Merron: The information has been placed in the Library.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Safety

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient safety incidents in accident and emergency departments in England were reported to the National Patient Safety Agency in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The number of patient safety incidents in accident and emergency (AE) departments in England that have been reported to the National Patient Safety Agency since the reporting system commenced in 2003 is given in the following table. There was no central reporting system in place prior to 2003.
	
		
			  England 
			   AE incidents  All incidents  AE as a percentage of all 
			 2003 15 153 10 
			 2004 1,706 42,880 4 
			 2005 13,742 403,610 3 
			 2006 20,499 659,035 3 
			 2007 27,834 834,764 3 
			 2008 31,236 906,401 3 
			 2009(1) 32,017 867,675 4 
			 Total 127,049 3,714,518 3 
			 (1) To mid October  Notes: Not all trusts were connected prior to January 2005.  Source: Reporting and Learning System

Airedale Hospital: Cancer

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether digital mammography equipment is available on site at  (a) Airedale Hospital and  (b) Burnley General Hospital;
	(2)  what services are provided at  (a) Airedale Hospital and  (b) Burnley General Hospital for patients who develop lymphoedema.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally and can instead be obtained direct from the Airedale NHS Trust and the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Blackburn Royal Infirmary: PFI

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what percentage of its income the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust spent on servicing the Royal Blackburn Infirmary private finance initiative project in 2008.

Mike O'Brien: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust spent £13.57 million on the Royal Blackburn Infirmary private finance initiative project in financial year 2008-09. This equates to 4.3 per cent, against turnover for that year.

Cancer: Health Services

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the NHS spent on children's cancer care in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much the NHS spent on cancer care in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Information is not collected in the requested format.
	2003-04 was the first year programme budgeting data were collected. Data on children's cancer care are not available. Estimated cancer expenditure from 2003-04 to 2007-08, for England and for primary care trusts (PCTs) within the North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Estimated England level spend on cancer and tumours 2003-04 to 2007-08: Estimated gross England level expenditure on all cancer and tumours 
			   £000 
			 2003-04 3,385,750 
			 2004-05 3,773,203 
			 2005-06 4,302,656 
			 2006-07 4,352,462 
			 2007-08 4,964,282 
		
	
	
		
			  North East SHA expenditure on cancer and tumours and expenditure on  cancer and tumours  for PCTs within North East SHA 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  £000 
			   Expenditure on all cancer and tumours on own population 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 County Durham PCT 32,591 38,635 43,825 50,578 44,017 
			 Darlington PCT 6,959 6,580 7,433 8,299 8,539 
			 Gateshead PCT 12,354 18,250 22,688 22,045 18,185 
			 Hartlepool PCT 6,617 5,852 7,845 8,824 9,623 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 14,378 13,391 11,904 13,450 16,402 
			 Newcastle PCT 20,449 27,069 27,950 23,427 25,658 
			 North Tyneside PCT 12,806 15,444 17,085 15,103 16,187 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 19,532 28,247 25,364 22,637 24,059 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 11,086 11,066 12,189 10,173 14,132 
			 South Tyneside PCT 9,930 12,755 20,133 17,523 16,949 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching PCT 8,818 11,048 13,043 13,276 16,278 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 14,918 19,730 20,000 23,126 27,665 
			   
			 North East SHA 170,438 208,067 229,459 228,461 237,694 
			  Notes: 1. The programme budgeting data collection is complex-expenditure figures are therefore presented as 'best estimates'. 2. Working with the national health service, we continue to refine and improve the data collection methodology. This, along with refinements to underlying data sources, makes like-for-like comparisons between years difficult. 3. Disease specific expenditure will not include expenditure on prevention, or general practitioner expenditure, but will include prescribing expenditure. 4. England level expenditure is estimated gross expenditure, and includes core Department of Health, SHA and some Special Health Authority expenditure as well as PCTs. 5. SHA level expenditure is the combined expenditure of each PCT within the SHA area. PCT expenditure is estimated expenditure on PCTs own population.  Sources: Department of Health Resource Accounts PCT Financial Programme Budgeting Returns. Data for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are Published on the Department of Health website.

Cancer: Health Services

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average time elapsing from diagnosis to start of treatment for cancer patients resident in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Statistics on average waiting times between diagnosis and first treatment for cancer are not collected centrally. The cancer waiting time standard of a maximum wait of 31 days from diagnosis of cancer to first cancer treatment was introduced for all patients from December 2005. Statistics showing overall performance are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website.
	The following table shows performance against this standard for quarter 1 of 2009-10 (April-June 2009) for healthcare providers in the North East Strategic Health Authority area.
	Performance of healthcare providers in NHS North East area against the cancer waiting times standard of a maximum of 31 days from diagnosis of cancer to first cancer treatment for quarter 1 of 2009-10.
	
		
			  Healthcare provider  Percentage of patients receiving first cancer treatment within 31 days of cancer diagnosis 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 100 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 98.7 
			 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust 99.2 
			 The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 98.2 
			 Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 99.7 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 98.6 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust 98.8 
			 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust 99.5 
			 All providers in NHS North East area 98.8 
			  Source: Department of Health Cancer Waiting Times Statistics. 
		
	
	For the same period, the reported performance for England was 98.1 per cent.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1338W, on dental services, what information his Department holds on the criteria used by dental practices to determine appropriate clinical intervals.

Ann Keen: Historically dentists have tended to recall patients every six months. However guidance issued in 2004 by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence stated that dentists should have more flexible recall intervals, based on each patient's clinical needs, and that orally healthy adults might not need a check-up more than once every two years. Recalling healthy patients at shorter intervals than is clinically needed does not benefit these patients, and potentially blocks access to the national health service for others.

Departmental Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees of his Department have been convicted of an offence of fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Hope: Since 2006 no individual has been convicted of fraud while working for the Department.
	Prior to 2006 records were not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to search individual records.

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: The Department operates a homeworking scheme under which a person's home is formally designated as their regular place of work for some or all of the working week. Arrangements to work from home are made by local managers. Records are not kept centrally about this.
	Homeworking is one of a number of arrangements that the Department provides to promote flexible working, including part-time working, flexitime schemes, job sharing, part year appointments, unpaid leave, and compressing the working week into less than five days. The use of information technology also allows many staff to work from home on an occasional basis.

Departmental Internet

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department operates any Twitter accounts.

Phil Hope: The Department owns five Twitter accounts:
	@dhgovuk
	@NHSChoices
	@careandsupport
	@change4life
	@nhscommslink
	Two of these accounts are experimental and under review:
	@nhscommslink and
	@change4life.
	The remaining accounts are used for promoting information updates, or signposting sources of information on government websites.

East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many specialist neuromuscular physiotherapists are available to patients within the area covered by the East Kent Hospitals Trust;
	(2)  what hydrotherapy facilities are available to patients within the area covered by the East Kent Hospitals Trust.

Ann Keen: The information requested is a matter for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Mr. Nicholas Wells, chair of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, informing him of the hon. Member's inquiries. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Food

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what scientific papers he has considered in respect of animal studies that document the effect of the consumption of genetically modified food on changes in the kidney, pancreas and spleen;
	(2)  what recent international research he has evaluated on the effect on the consumption of genetically modified food on human health, with particular reference to the effects on  (a) fertility,  (b) immune dysregulation,  (c) accelerated ageing,  (d) gene disruption relating to cholesterol synthesis,  (e) cell signalling,  (f) protein formation  (g) insulin regulation and  (h) changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standards Agency has sought advice from the Advisory Committee on Novel Food and Processes (ACNFP) regarding what conclusions may be drawn from the following publications:
	Malatesta et al., (2008), Histochem Cell Biol, 130, pp967-977
	Kilic and Akay, (2008), Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46, pp1164-1170
	Finamore et al., (2008), J Agric Food Chem. DOI: 10.1021/jf802059w
	Lelimirov et al., (2008), Forschungsberichte der Sektion IV, Band 3/2008, published by the Austrian Ministry of Health.
	The ACNFP considered these publications at its meetings in November 2008 and February 2009, and advised that it was not possible to draw any conclusions about cause and effect in these publications or to assess the significance of these reports for human health. The minutes of these meetings are available on the ACNFP website at:
	www.acnfp.gov.uk/meetings/acnfpmeet08/acnfpmeet20nov08/acnfpmin20nov08
	and
	www.acnfp.gov.uk/meetings/acnfpmeet09/acnfpfeb09/acnfpminl90209

Health Professions: Training

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what  (a) funding for (i) fees and (ii) expenses and  (b) other assistance his Department has provided to each Royal College or Society for development of e-learning for health services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding his Department plans to provide to each Royal College or Society in each of the next three financial years for development of e-learning for health services.

Ann Keen: The Department does not provide funding to Royal Colleges or any society for the development of e-learning for health services. The Department's e-Learning for healthcare programme works in partnership with the Royal Colleges and societies, as well as other organisations, and they are eligible to have their expenses covered by the Department.

Health Services: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses were registered as working in each primary care trust serving Lancashire and their predecessors in (i) 1997 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of doctors and qualified nursing staff working at the Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT), as at 30 September 2002 and 2008.
	
		
			  All doctors and qualified nursing staff at the Central Lancashire PCT, as at 30 September each year 
			   Numbers (headcount) 
			   2002  2008 
			 All doctors(1) 282 327 
			 All general practitioners (GP) 266 285 
			 Hospital Community Health Services (HCHS) medical and dental staff 16 42 
			
			 All qualified nursing staff 794 937 
			 Qualified HCHS nursing staff 630 784 
			 GP practice nurses 164 153 
			 (1 )Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part-time in hospitals.  Note: Central Lancashire PCT was formed on 1 October 2006, following the merger of the Preston, Chorley and Ribble and West Lancashire PCTs.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care.

Health: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure consistency in relation to the choice of providers offered in respect of NHS health checks by primary care trusts;
	(2)  which primary care trusts are providing vascular checks in community pharmacy settings to ensure that they are accessible when other services may not be available, as referred to on page 18 of his Department's document, Putting prevention first, Vascular Checks: risk assessment and management: next steps guidance for primary care trusts; what assessment he has made of the accessibility of vascular checks in general practice settings to those in full-time employment; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts to commission the necessary services, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their local population. Currently, no data are collected centrally by the Department on which settings primary care trusts (PCTs) are commissioning NHS Health Checks to take place in or on the accessibility of NHS Health Checks in general practitioner practices. The Pharmacy Services Negotiating Committee has however recently undertaken a survey of Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs). Approximately two thirds of LPCs replied to the survey. The results showed that, of those primary care trusts that responded, 54 per cent. are either using or intending to use community pharmacy at this stage to help deliver their NHS Health Check programmes.

Health: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's second phase of economic modelling for vascular checks which used a pharmacy setting as its basis, as referred to on page 15 of his Department's document, Putting prevention first, Vascular Checks: risk assessment and management: next steps guidance for primary care trusts.

Ann Keen: The Impact Assessment for the NHS Health Check programme incorporates the results of the Department's second phase of economic modelling which took into account pharmacy as a setting for delivering the risk assessment element of the check. A copy of the Impact Assessment has been placed in the Library.

Hydrotherapy Pools

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hydrotherapy pools are available for treatment in each primary care trust in England.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect data centrally on the number of hydrotherapy treatment pools available in each primary care trust in England.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed days were recorded for patients aged under 16 years old on adult psychiatric wards in each quarter of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The following table gives figures for the number of bed days for children on child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) wards and for children aged under 16 and 16-17 on adult mental health wards.
	
		
			   Quarter  Bed days-under 18s on CAMHS ward  Bed days-under 16s on adult ward  Bed days-16/17s on adult ward 
			 2006-07 1 34,609 75 4,697 
			  2 28,171 25 4,780 
			  3 34,430 38 4,679 
			  4 39,409 53 4,511 
			 2007-08 1 38,359 81 3,954 
			  2 37,935 112 3,893 
			  3 41,184 49 4,255 
			  4 40,072 133 4,926 
			 2008-09 1 37,003 16 4,019 
			  2 36,973 4 3,713 
			  3 39,534 0 2,854 
			  4 42,065 3 3,101 
			  Notes: 1. Data on this issue were first collected in 2005-06 but data up until Quarter 3 of 2005-06 are not comparable with the data for Quarter 4 2005-06 onwards as information was collected on a different basis. 2. For 2008-09 onwards it is not mandatory for NHS foundation trusts to submit returns but they may do so on a voluntary basis.

NHS: Sick Leave

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days were lost through employee sickness in the National Health Service in each strategic health authority area in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: After the 2005 report, the sickness absence survey was discontinued. Electronic copies of earlier records are not available. Results of the last two surveys on sickness absence from 2004 and 2005 have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Training

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has commissioned a training programme for clinicians to enhance the quality of discussion with patients on treatments not routinely funded on the NHS, as recommended by his Department's National Cancer Director in his November 2008 report on improving access to medicines for NHS patients.

Ann Keen: The Cancer Research UK Sussex Psychosocial Oncology Group has been commissioned to take forward the recommendation, by Professor Mike Richards (National Cancer Director), that the Department should commission a training programme for clinicians to enhance the quality of discussion with patients on treatments not routinely funded on the national health service.

Nurses: Students

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student nurses are working in Lancashire Primary Care Trust; and what the average number of student nurses working in a primary care trust was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, this information might be available direct from the primary care trusts that serve the Lancashire area.

Pain

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information requested on the number of males and females diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome in the national health service is not collected. The NHS Information Centre collects data on the number of patients admitted in England NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector with complex regional pain type II (previously known as causalgia). The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes( 1)  where the primary or secondary diagnosis was Causalgia (G56.4) by gender, 2004-05 to 2008-09, activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Financial year  Male  Female 
			 2008-09 62 99 
			 2007-08 38 87 
			 2006-07 26 72 
			 2005-06 36 57 
			 2004-05 40 70 
			 (1) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. It should be noted that the figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Patients' Rights

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage the National Clinical Audit and Patients' Outcomes programme to conduct an audit of dignity for patients in hospital and other care settings.

Ann Keen: The National Clinical Audit Advisory Group, which advises the Department on the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes programme (NCAPOP), has set out advice on the criteria to be used to prioritise topics for new national clinical audits. This is available from the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/ab/NCAAG/index.htm
	The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, which manages the contracts for the NCAPOP, has recently issued an invitation to tender for a one-year development project designed to develop a methodology to underpin a future national audit of food and nutrition in health and social care, an important aspect of dignity.

Prostate Cancer: Health Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 13 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 1552-7W, on prostate cancer staff, which cancer networks  (a) have met and  (b) are on target to meet the milestones set out in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance on improving outcomes.

Ann Keen: The majority of cancer networks have now fully implemented the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on Improving Outcomes in Urological Cancer.
	Four networks are yet to implement the guidance. These networks are: Mount Vernon Cancer Network; Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network; Surrey West Sussex and Hampshire Cancer Network and Greater Midlands Cancer Network.
	Mount Vernon Cancer Network is expected to implement the IOG by the end of 2009, Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network by September 2010 and Surrey West Sussex and Hampshire Cancer Network by March 2010. Greater Midlands Cancer Network is preparing an action plan which is expected by the end of 2009.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements his Department has made for informing GP surgeries of the dates upon which their allocation of swine influenza vaccine will be received; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: In the letter of 15 October 2009 from the Chief Medical Officer to all general practitioners (GPs), a copy of which has been placed in the Library, the arrangements for checking delivery dates of swine flu vaccine were clearly identified. GPs were informed that they would be able to find out the expected day of delivery of their first supplies of swine flu vaccine by checking with their primary care trust immunisation co-ordinator or by consulting the website themselves at:
	www.immform.dh.gov.uk

Tuberculosis: Health Services

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of primary care trusts in England are part of a local multi-disciplinary clinical network for tuberculosis;
	(2)  what steps the NHS takes to assign consultants with appropriate experience to the care of patients with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Gillian Merron: The organisation of local national health service services and ensuring appropriate experience of consultants treating multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and the organisation of local multi-disciplinary networks is a matter for local NHS management.
	In recognising that many TB clinicians will not have experienced treating an MDR case, the Department funded the British Thoracic Society (BTS) initially to form a national advice network to offer advice and share good practice on treating MDR cases. We also recommend in the TB Toolkit for commissioners and service providers published in June 2007 that MDR-TB cases be discussed within this group and advice should be sought on a regular basis on continuing patient management.
	Advice is provided through a virtual community of TB experts, including chest physicians, infectious disease physicians, paediatricians, public health physicians, a specialist nurse and four directors of the health protection agency laboratories where drug sensitivity for tuberculosis is undertaken (Newcastle, Birmingham, Cardiff and London).
	In forming the advice network, The BTS extended the remit to include all aspects of TB, and not just MDR-TB. The TB Toolkit also recommends that in low incidence areas where fewer that 10 cases per year are seen for case management to be discussed on a multidisciplinary team basis. The BTS network is available to anyone that wishes to access it.
	The all party parliamentary group on Global TB published the results of two surveys of TB nursing staff and TB consultants in July 2009. They found that 68 per cent. of the respondents from TB consultants indicate that the acute trusts they work for is part of a TB network.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CDC

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial arrangements were in place for the seeding of CDC Group plc's sub-Saharan power assets in the new $750 million infrastructure fund announced by his Department on 6 October 2009; and whether a profit share was earned by the private equity company Actis for this transaction.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 3 November 2009
	On 6 October 2009, Actis announced a new £750 million infrastructure fund. CDC contributed a number of sub-Saharan African assets to this fund. The transfer value of these assets was established by agreement between CDC and Actis, with independent valuation advice provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
	The specific information requested is subject to commercial confidentiality provisions in the various legal agreements.
	Carried interest or profit share will be payable to the fund manager, pursuant to the contractual obligation between Actis and CDC.

Tanzania: Overseas Aid

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian aid was provided by the Government to Tanzania in each of the last five years for which figures are available; on what projects such aid was spent in each of those years; what process is used to monitor expenditure on such projects; and what evaluation has been made of the outcomes of that expenditure.

Gareth Thomas: The total amount of bilateral programme aid provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) to Tanzania in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 94.9 
			 2005-06 109.3 
			 2006-07 108.5 
			 2007-08 120.0 
			 2008-09 127.7 
		
	
	Information about individual projects is available on the DFID website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/Where-we-work/Africa-Eastern--Southern/Tanzania/
	Projects and their outcomes are monitored on a regular basis by a designated lead adviser and programme manager. In addition, an annual review process assesses the performance of the project against a five-point scale and will lead to action where necessary to ensure that the project continues to meet its overall objectives. All projects are also subject to a completion report which provides a formal evaluation of the project and its impact.

Tanzania: Politics and Government

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of standards of governance in Tanzania.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development office in Dar es Salaam has a team dedicated to assessing standards of governance in Tanzania and to supporting efforts to improve these. Each year donors and the Government of Tanzania undertake a formal assessment of governance as part of the review of budget support. The last such review was conducted in November 2008.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Devolution

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there will be a residual power for the Government to intervene in relation to a decision by a Northern Ireland Justice Minister to repatriate a foreign prisoner on medical or other grounds following the proposed devolution of responsibility for criminal justice and policing; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The repatriation of foreign prisoners will become the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice after the devolution of criminal justice and policing. Decisions on the grounds of national security will, however, remain excepted.

Prisoner Release

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps he has taken to strengthen mechanisms for the supervision of offenders following their release from prisons in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Earlier this year, I announced the introduction of electronic tagging, strengthening the capacity of the criminal justice system to manage offenders in the community. This is working well and has improved the ability of the police and the probation service to monitor those on bail or licence.

Dissident Republicans

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the level of activity of dissident Republicans in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge).

Local Government Reorganisation

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received on reorganising local government in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Upminster (Angela Watkinson).

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department and its agencies  (a) he,  (b) officials of his Department and  (c) officials of its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Northern Ireland Office (NIO) Ministers hosted and attended four Christmas receptions.
	These events were attended by over 1,500 cross-community representatives from the criminal justice, policing, military, charity and voluntary sectors across Northern Ireland. The total cost was £37,534.53.
	The Northern Ireland Office works in partnership with a range of organisations in the course of delivering the Department's objectives on political development, policing and justice. This includes working with strategic partners within the policing and criminal justice field, engagement with community groups and interests around Northern Ireland, working closely with the Irish Government and engaging with key opinion formers abroad. The NIO also helps promote community cohesion and celebrates successes in Northern Ireland by making Hillsborough Castle accessible to community groups, charities, the armed forces, veterans, and others working in the policing and justice fields.
	The Secretary of State did not attend in an official capacity any Christmas functions arranged by the Department's external agencies.

Firearms: Licensing

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland staff administer the issue of firearms certificates.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Fireworks: Death

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) deaths and  (b) injuries have been caused by fireworks in Northern Ireland in each year since 2005.

Paul Goggins: Responsibility for collating these statistics is now devolved and falls to the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety within the Northern Ireland Executive.

Terrorism: Victims

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance his Department is providing to families in Northern Ireland who have yet to establish the location of the remains of relatives in order to allow for a proper burial.

Paul Goggins: The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) was established in 1999 by treaty between the UK Government and the Irish Government. The objective of the Commission is to facilitate the location of the remains of the victims of violence, killed before 10 April 1998, as a result of acts committed on behalf of an unlawful organisation which has been proscribed under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996 in the UK or subject to a suppression order under the Offences Against the State Act 1939 in Ireland. These individuals are commonly known as 'The Disappeared'.
	The Commission uses a range of investigative techniques in respect of information it receives about victims of violence within its remit. They aim to exhaust all reasonable steps to locate the remains of these individuals in order to facilitate a proper burial of those remains. They also aim to provide families with as much information as they can about the fate of their loved ones. The Commission shows tremendous dedication and commitment to their work, and their success in recovering the remains of Danny McIlhone in December 2008 is a testament to their approach.
	I have met the families of the Disappeared on several occasions and I am always willing to listen to their concerns. In response to the views they raised initially with me the Northern Ireland Assembly has passed the Presumption of Death Act (Northern Ireland) 2009, enabling the families to gain some measure of closure by enabling the formal registration of the deaths of the Disappeared, and a confidential free telephone service for the ICLVR has been established. Some funding has also been provided to the WAVE Trauma Centre for their work with the families of the Disappeared.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare Act 2006

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has no proposals to prohibit the sale of dogs from pet shops. There are currently two independent inquiries underway looking into dog breeding. Both inquiries are expected to report in the next few months. We do not want to pre-empt the recommendations of the inquiries by bringing forward legislation in this area.
	In the meantime, the welfare of dogs in pet shops continue to be covered by the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Under section 9 of the 2006 Act, all owners and keepers must provide for the welfare needs of their animal (the welfare offence). Anyone failing to do so could face a maximum penalty of £5,000, or six months' imprisonment, or both. In addition, pet shops have to be licensed by the local authority.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Wild animals used in travelling circuses are protected by The Animal Welfare Act 2006, which prevents unnecessary cruelty or suffering to any vertebrate animal. The Act makes owners and keepers responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met. This includes the need: for a suitable environment (place to live); for a suitable diet; to exhibit normal behaviour patterns; to be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable); and to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.
	A Feasibility Study is currently underway looking at the possibility of regulating wild animal acts in travelling circuses. The Feasibility Study is nearing completion and we expect it to be finalised by the end of the year.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been prosecuted under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for importing a prohibited breed of dog in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As there is no offence of importing a prohibited type dog into this country contained in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, there have been no such prosecutions over the last five years.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department provides to police forces on the implementation of the measures in section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has made available to the police a number of guidance notes about the Dangerous Dogs Act, including section 1.
	Most recently, in April this year, DEFRA produced a document which explains the law on the prohibited type dogs Dangerous Dogs Law-Guidance for Enforcers. This was produced in response to a consultation with police forces about the law in this area.
	In addition, DEFRA has made available, on its website, all previous guidance notes produced by central Government since the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 came into force.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of dog owners proceeded against under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 subsequently had their dogs placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not possible to provide clear figures on the numbers of people who have had their dogs added to the Index of Exempted Dogs as a result of being prosecuted under section 1(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. In addition to people who are prosecuted, there are those who have had their dogs added to the Index by way of a non-prosecution avenue (section 4B of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991-as amended, 1997).
	The following table shows the numbers of dogs added to the Index of Exempted Dogs between 2003 and 2007, inclusive.
	
		
			   Number of Dogs processed by index  Certificates of exemption issued  Number certificate of exemption issued 
			 2003 0 0 0 
			 2004 6 6 0 
			 2005 1 1 0 
			 2006 6 6 0 
			 2007 185 141 44 
		
	
	Information showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under section 1(3) of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts under section 1(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England and Wales 2003 to 2007( 1, 2) 
			   Offence description  Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog 
			   Section of the Act  S.1(3) 
			
			 2003 Proceeded against 1 
			  Found guilty 1 
			
			 2004 Proceeded against 5 
			  Found guilty 2 
			
			 2005 Proceeded against 11 
			  Found guilty 7 
			
			 2006 Proceeded against 8 
			  Found guilty 5 
			
			 2007 Proceeded against 87 
			  Found guilty 62 
			 (1) The number proceeded against and number found guilty statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative datasystems generated by police forces and the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis Unit-Office for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.

Departmental Data Protection

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) data tapes,  (b) CDs,  (c) memory sticks,  (d) laptops and  (e) other equipment containing data of each type have been lost from (i) his Department and (ii) each of his Department's agencies in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 3 November 2009
	Details of total losses or thefts from DEFRA and some of its agencies from 2005-06 onwards of mobile phones, blackberries (including PDAs) and laptops were provided in response to a question from the hon. Member from Putney (Justine Greening) 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1212W. A further breakdown and complete agency figures are not available centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Prior to 2008, losses of data tapes, CDs and memory sticks were not recorded or collected centrally. Thereafter losses involving personal protected information were recorded and details were published in the 2008 departmental Annual Report:
	http://defraweb/corporate/about/how/deprep/index.htm
	and in the 2008-09 departmental Resource Accounts:
	http://defraweb/corporate/about/how/finance/resource-accounts/docs/resource-accounts2008-2009.pdf

Dogs: Tagging

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated research on the merits of microchipping of dogs.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has not commissioned any research or assessed research by others into the social benefits of microchipping of dogs.

Dogs: Tagging

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider the merits of compulsory microchipping of dogs.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Dog Identification Group (DIG) recommended in its 2000 report that a voluntary scheme for the permanent identification of dogs be introduced. Since the DIG report, there has been an increase in voluntary dog registration. At the forefront of this is Petlog, which is the largest pet reunification service in the UK. It manages a database of over 3,500,000 records. This is on hand 24 hours a day to authorised bodies such as animal wardens or animal welfare centres, who can scan the chips in found animals and trace their owners via the Petlog database. Today up to 40-50 per cent. of dogs are registered on the Petlog system.
	We have no plans to make microchipping compulsory.

Floods: West Midlands

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding the Government has allocated for the maintenance and upgrading of flood defences in the West Midlands in the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency's Midlands Region has spent £114,260,000 to design and construct new defences and maintain existing ones in the West Midlands. The table shows the breakdown between capital, revenue and local levy funding.
	This includes major capital schemes constructed at Bewdley, Burton, Cannock, Cheltenham, Hereford, Kidderminster and North Littleton, with flood risk to 8,614 properties reduced as a result.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1) 
			 Capital expenditure (new build/rebuild 12,610,000 7,764,000 3,538,000 8,014,000 12,239,000 
			 Revenue expenditure (maintenance) 13,400,000 14,345,000 16,057,000 13,393,000 12,900,000 
			 Total 26,010,000 22,109,000 19,595,000 21,407,000 25,139,000 
			 Additional local levy (raised by Regional Flood Defence Committee) 1,495,000 1,828,000 0,580,000 1,171,000 2,616,000 
			 (1) Based on current year forecasts.

Floods: West Midlands

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further steps the Government plans to take to prevent flooding in the West Midlands.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has identified projects to reduce the risk of flooding to 11,109 houses in the West Midlands between 2010 and 2020. Investment will continue to improve flood modelling, mapping, forecasting and warning. The development and testing of flood response plans will also continue in partnership with local authorities and emergency services.
	The following table shows the planned expenditure on flood risk management:
	
		
			  Major planned future expenditure (new defences) West Midlands 
			  Delivery period  Location  Planned expenditure (£) 
			 2012-15 Barton, Staffordshire 1,000,000 
			 2011-13 Sparkhill, Birmingham 1,500,000 
			 2013-15 Shipston upon Stour 1,500,000 
			 2012 (onward) River Tame Birmingham 50,000,000 
			 2012-15 Hob Nail Brook, West Bromwich 1,500,000 
			 2013-15 Castle Vale, Birmingham 2,400,000 
			 2015-18 Snitterfield (near Coventry) 1,500,000 
			 2013-15 Wolverhampton Culvert 2,000,000 
			 2010-11 Upton on Severn 2,000,000 
			 2010-11 Horsbere Brook, Gloucester 1,500,000 
			 2010-12 Badsey Brook, Worcester 1,000,000 
			 2012-15 Sandyford Brook, Stafford 4,500,000

River Trent: Pollution

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking in respect of the discharge of cyanide into the River Trent in October 2009; what discussions he has had with Severn Trent Water on the incident; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency is investigating the cause of the incident with a view to prosecuting those responsible. It is having on-going discussions with Severn Trent Water and is inspecting the company's records to establish how its sewage works were disrupted by the effluent it received.
	A suspension notice was served by the Environment Agency to prevent a company in Stoke-on-Trent discharging effluent to the sewer system. This notice will remain in force until the Environment Agency is satisfied that the risk of pollution has been removed.

River Trent: Pollution

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reported incidents of pollution in the  (a) River Trent and  (b) River Tame there have been in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table shows the number of incidents of pollution reported to the Environment Agency over the last three years in the locations specified.
	
		
			   Number of incidents per year 
			   River Trent  River Tame 
			 2007 51 52 
			 2008 58 35 
			 2009 53 29 
			 Total 162 116 
		
	
	The majority of these incidents were classed as minor and had a limited impact on the water environment. Only 10 of these incidents had a major or significant impact; five on the River Trent and five on the River Tame.

River Trent: Pollution

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the specifications of the Severn Trust Water sewage treatment plants at  (a) Strongford,  (b) Minworth,  (c) Coleshill and  (d) Tamworth.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Discharges from sewage treatment plants to surface water are required to have prior authorisation under the requirements of the Water Resources Act (1991). Discharge consent is issued under Section 88 of the Act.
	The setting of these conditions involves assessing the needs of the receiving watercourse and calculating the standards a sewage treatment works must achieve in order to avoid causing damage to the environment. In most cases, these 'river needs' are prescribed by EC directives or national legislation.
	Emission limits are typically set for ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids and, where necessary, can also include pesticides, metals and other substances deemed dangerous to the environment. It is the role of the operator to design the appropriate type of treatment works to achieve the specified standards. This applies to all the plants mentioned. Discharges are regularly monitored to ensure that these standards are met.

Rural Payments Agency: Data Protection

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  on what date  (a) he,  (b) the Minister for Food, Farming and the Environment and  (c) officials in his Department was informed of the recent loss of confidential data from the Rural Payments Agency;
	(2)  who ordered the investigation into the recent loss of confidential data from the Rural Payments Agency;
	(3)  what data are contained on the tapes recently lost by the Rural Payments Agency;
	(4)  on what date individuals whose personal data were contained on tapes lost by the Rural Payments Agency were informed of the loss;
	(5)  on what date the investigation into the recent loss of confidential data from the Rural Payments Agency  (a) began and  (b) concluded;
	(6)  on what date the recent loss of confidential data from the Rural Payments Agency was discovered.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 3 November 2009
	On 29 October 2009,  Official Report, column 437, I made a statement to the House of Commons regarding unaccounted for electronic storage media at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). I gave a commitment to put in the Library of the House a copy of the internal investigation report that was carried out by RPA. This text accompanies that report.
	 Summary
	The potential issue was identified in routine audits, conducted by IBM in spring 2009 and subsequently by RPA in September 2009, which were unable to account for two back-up tapes and it was subsequently established that these were likely to have contained some personal data. As is explained in more detail in the section on assessment of risk below, a detailed assessment was made of the circumstances of the case and the risks to personal information. Although there was no documentary evidence that the tapes had been destroyed, there was evidence that one was identified as defective and suitable for destruction and the balance of probability was that both had been destroyed. It was also established that a combination of several low probability events would have had to arise in order for the tapes and the information to be misused. On this basis the DEFRA senior information risk owner (SIRO) decided that formal reporting was not warranted and that notifying people whose data might have been included in the two tapes would cause unnecessary alarm and would be disproportionate.
	 Back-up tapes and administration
	This incident relates to back-up tapes used in an IBM data centre to provide essential IT services for the Rural Payments Agency. The proper administration of these tapes enables the department to restore live services if there is an outage or disaster.
	Back-up tapes need to be carefully administered (i.e. recorded and labelled, logged whenever they are replaced, re-used, deleted or transported). Part of this administration is an annual audit to check that all tapes are accounted for.
	 Narrative of events relating to unaccounted media
	Between 16 March 2009 and 7 May 2009, IBM carried out routine annual reconciliations of back-up tapes at their data centres. It became clear that 38 tapes and one CD could not be accounted for and they carried out an internal investigation and a thorough search of the data centres to establish if these were lost or had been misplaced. 19 of the 39 media were found during this audit process. At this stage it was not clear that protected personal data relating to RPA were on any of the tapes unaccounted for but it was reasonable to assume that this was possible.
	IBM notified DEFRA orally at a meeting on 23 July 2009. Following further searches IBM informed DEFRA formally in writing on 28 August 2009 that 19 tapes and one CD remained unaccounted for although it had reason to believe that it knew where 18 of the tapes were and would be following this up directly.
	At the same time the RPA were carrying out internal assurance and became aware of the results of the media audits reported on 28 August 2009.
	On 3 September 2009, the risk was escalated to the DEFRA Deputy SIRO who immediately informed security branch and requested further investigation. Between 3 September and 21 September 2009, more tapes were accounted for (there had been double accounting errors and some media were awaiting destruction), leaving four media (three tapes and one CD) still unaccounted for.
	It was ascertained that one tape and one CD did not hold protected personal data and the issue therefore related only to the two tapes which were likely to contain protected personal data.
	On 7 October 2009, a full assessment of the position was passed to both the DEFRA SIRO and the SIRO at RPA, who agreed on 9 October 2009 that the incident did not warrant formal reporting to the Cabinet Office and Information Commissioner's Office and that notifying SPS claimants would be disproportionate and cause unnecessary concern.
	 Data and responsibilities
	Not all data held and processed by DEFRA its agencies are personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act (1998). Much of the data processed by the IT suppliers at DEFRA relate to day-to-day transactions and are not connected to identifiable persons.
	Most organisations that hold personal data require a Data Controller and a formal notification which sets out what data are being held and for what purposes. In the case of the Rural Payments Agency the Data Controller is DEFRA.
	In addition, each government organisation has a Board level Senior Information Risk Owner who is responsible for managing the risks associated with information assets (both personal and non-personal). DEFRA's SIRO is the Director General of Law and Corporate Services and the Rural Payments Agency's SIRO is the Chief Information Officer.
	DEFRA employs a number of companies to provide ICT (information and communications technology) services. Such companies are known as Data Processors (any action which relates to holding, using, manipulating or even just storing data is known as 'processing' as defined by the Data Protection Act). The Data Controller and Data Processors put in place all necessary measures to ensure that personal data are held in accordance with data protection law and principles (of which security is part). The Data Processor in this case was IBM.
	 Data Handling Review
	The Data Handling Review (DHR) published in June 2008 sets out the minimum measures for personal data handling which government departments are required to adhere to. A written ministerial statement and a copy of the report can be found at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/statements/080625_data_handling.aspx
	The IBM procedures for handling back-up tapes on behalf of RPA were designed to ensure that their movements were recorded and tracked accurately throughout their life cycle. There were also compliance checks in place and as is described in the report of the RPA investigations into this incident, these checks revealed evidence that these procedures were not followed by IBM in some respects. IBM is now implementing changes in conjunction with DEFRA and RPA to strengthen arrangements and improve compliance checking.
	 Protection of Personal Data
	Under the procedures introduced following the DHR, government Departments are required to identify and consider reporting any potential breach or loss of personal protected data to the Information Commissioner and also consider informing the individuals concerned. These decisions are normally taken by the SIRO, who is the board level executive with particular responsibility for information risk. Departments are required to include in their annual reports
	a summary of protected personal data related incidents formally reported to the Information Commissioner under the Data;
	a summary of centrally recorded protected personal data related incidents not formally reported to the Information Commissioner; and
	a summary statement of actions to manage information risk.
	 Assessment of risk posed by RPA media unaccounted for
	The potential issue with unaccounted for RPA removable media was identified in routine audits conducted by IBM in spring 2009 and subsequently by RPA in September 2009. In accordance with the Cabinet Office Guidance an assessment was made of the risks posed by the media not accounted for. This established that although three tapes and one CD were unaccounted for, only two tapes could have contained protected personal data.
	These two tapes were part of an automatic contained system in a secure data centre: tapes sit within a hopper and are automatically used to back it up in turn about every eight weeks. They are not moved within the data centre and if moved between sites (for example for destruction) are transported in authorised vehicles.
	The most likely explanation for the fact that the two tapes could not be accounted for is that they were found to be defective and were destroyed. Other tapes of the same type were so destroyed and there is evidence that one of the tapes was reported as defective and recommended for destruction and neither of the tapes not accounted for appear to have been used on the system since 2007.
	The tapes are not of a type that can be easily read: the data are dumped across the set of back-up tapes in random strings and appear in ASCII code. Specialist equipment and technical skills are needed to reconstitute them.
	Even when reconstituted the data would not mean much. A name, address or banking details of a particular individual would not necessarily appear on the same backup tape or be linked together, six tapes are required to back up the system.
	The risk of these tapes having been stolen for criminal purposes by someone with access to the system in the data centre is low. For the data to be useful the entire bank of tapes would be needed (because the linked data may be spread across all the tapes) so a person with access to the tapes and with the knowledge to interpret the data would also know that the entire set of six tapes was needed to make sense of it.
	The assessment concluded that a combination of several low probability events would have had to arise in order for the tapes and the information to be misused. On this basis the DEFRA SIRO decided that formal reporting was not warranted and that notifying people whose data might have been included in the two tapes would cause unnecessary alarm and be disproportionate.
	 Lessons learned
	The RPA instructed IBM to act upon lessons learned on 11 October 2009. This included: restrictions on physical access to data centres unless accompanied by specified representatives; a further strengthening of tracking and logging procedures for all removable storage media at sites (including the transit between sites); introduction of formal confirmatory reporting that any actions taken are fully catalogued and the audit history maintained. An external expert consultant, engaged by RPA, has also provided independent advice on these improvements.
	The Secretary of State and Minister for Food and Farming were informed of these events on 28 October 2009.
	At the time that the DEFRA SIRO decided that formal reporting was not warranted, a full review of IBM removable media storage, handling and accounting procedures was commissioned, covering arrangements across the DEFRA network. DEFRA will also be looking to strengthen arrangements for identifying and reporting on incidents involving the potential loss of personal information.
	In accordance with normal practice the incident will be reported in the RPA's annual report for 2009-10.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Borders: Personal Records

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data other than those contained on a passport are requested of carriers as part of the e-borders scheme.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 2 November 2009
	 In addition to the data contained on a passport (travel document information), carriers are required to provide other passenger information (OPI) to e-Borders, but only to the extent that it is known to the carrier.

Borders: Personal Records

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date he expects the e-borders scheme to be implemented in respect of each mode of transport used to enter the UK.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 2 November 2009
	e-Borders implementation for aviation has already started and maritime and rail will commence in 2010.

Community Policing

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Neighbourhood Policing Fund was in each year since 2002-03; and what proportion of funding from the Fund was allocated for police community support officers in each of those years.

David Hanson: Neighbourhood policing is central to improving public confidence in the police dealing with crime and antisocial behaviour that matters locally. Since 2002 we have invested heavily to ensure that there is now a neighbourhood policing team in every neighbourhood, including in total more than 13,500 officers and 16,000 PCSOs. We launched the Neighbourhood Policing Fund (NPF) during 2004-05 to incorporate a series of earlier PCSO funding rounds and significantly increase investment in PCSOs and the wider aspects of neighbourhood policing. The table shows the amount of funding allocated to neighbourhood policing and the proportion allocated specifically for PCSOs. This table includes the funding streams prior to the introduction of the NPF.
	
		
			   Total (£ million)  Percentage allocated for PCSOs 
			 2002-03 (1)12 100 
			 2003-04 (1)35 100 
			 2004-05 (1)48 100 
			 2005-06 79 100 
			 2006-07 222 (2)97 
			 2007-08 315 (2)89 
			 2008-09 324 (2)89 
			 (1) Pre-NPF community support officer grant. (2) Since 2006 we have allocated a proportion of the fund for discretionary spending within the authority's neighbourhood policing budget. 
		
	
	Funding is made available to police authorities, and it is for each police authority and each police force to allocate resources within the local force area. This funding provides a substantial proportion of each police authority's salary costs of its allocated share of the 16,000 PCSOs. The terms of the grant require that each authority employ at least that allocated number.

Crime: Children

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of each type have been committed by children aged  (a) under 10 and  (b) between 11 and 14 years old in the Milton Keynes area in the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally. From the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office it is not possible to identify the age of the alleged offender.

Crime: Norwich

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were reported in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008 in Norwich North constituency and how many of them resulted in convictions in each of those years.

Alan Campbell: Information is not available in the form requested as it is not possible to track individual offences through to their outcome at court.
	In addition, data specifically for the Norwich North constituency are not collected centrally in either the police recorded crime data or the court proceedings data collected by the Ministry of Justice.
	The available recorded crime data are for the Norwich Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area. There were 17,890 offences recorded in 2007-08 and 16,176 in 2008-09, a fall of 10 per cent. Data for 1997 are not available.

Demonstrations: Parliament Square

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with  (a) the House authorities and  (b) the former Speaker, Lord Martin in the last 12 months on legislation to restrict the extended use of amplified noise in Parliament Square; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill will enable restrictions to be placed on  (a) (i) the establishment and (ii) the continuation of existing permanent demonstrations in Parliament Square and  (b) the use of amplified noise for long periods in the Square.

David Hanson: holding answer 2 November 2009
	 My predecessor my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) met the former Speaker, the noble Lord Martin, in May to discuss a number of issues concerning Government proposals to repeal sections 132 to 138 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. Ministers have discussed and will continue to discuss these proposals with the House authorities. I met the Serjeant at Arms in October.
	The provisions in part 4 of the Constitutional Renewal and Governance Bill repeal sections 132 to 138 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 and provide the police with new powers to maintain access to Parliament.
	The police will be able to place conditions on demonstrations only to the extent that they are necessary in order to prevent a march or assembly from blocking access to Parliament or, as currently under the Public Order Act, where they are necessary to prevent serious public disorder, serious disruption to the life of the community or serious damage to property.

Hakluyt

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contacts his Department has had with Hakluyt and Co. Ltd. since 1 January 2009.

David Hanson: The Home Office cannot find any record of any contact between the Home Office and Hakluyt and Co. Ltd.

Illegal Immigrants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal migrants have been found to be working in  (a) the UK Border Agency and  (b) the Immigration and Passport Service in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: In 2006 a total of nine contract cleaners, working in the then Immigration and Nationality Department of the Home Office, were found not to have valid leave to remain in the UK. Following that the Home Office's procedures for checking its own employees were tightened and the Home Office worked with its contractors to ensure that they fulfilled their responsibilities for pre-employment checking of their employees. Since 2006 we know of only one other case (in 2008) where an employee of a contractor had invalid leave to remain.

Immigration: Pakistan and Abu Dhabi

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from whom entry clearance officers in his Department's visa hub in  (a) Pakistan and  (b) Abu Dhabi received instructions not to carry out telephone interviews with visa applicants; and in what form such instructions were given.

Alan Johnson: No instruction has been issued to entry clearance officers (ECOs) overseas, including those working in Pakistan and Abu Dhabi, not to interview visa applicants.

Immigration: Pakistan and Abu Dhabi

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether visa processing work carried out at his Department's  (a) Pakistan and  (b) Abu Dhabi visa hub has been transferred to other visa processing centres.

Alan Johnson: Decision-making on visa applications submitted in Pakistan has been transferred in stages since October 2008 from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi (non-settlement applications) and London (settlement applications). No Pakistan work has been sent elsewhere.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

David Hanson: In respect of Home Office non-departmental public bodies, three representatives of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) attended fringe events at the Labour and Conservative political party conferences in 2009, as observers.

Police Community Support Officers

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers police community support officers have in relation to the use of speed detection devices.

David Hanson: holding answer 22 October 2009
	No legal powers are required in order to operate a speed detection device. Police community support officers (PCSO) may use them. However, police community support officers have no power to issue a fixed penalty notice for a speeding offence. A police officer may issue a fixed penalty notice for speeding on the basis of evidence obtained by a PCSO.

Police: Pay

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) pay and  (b) pay-related cost of employment of a full-time police officer was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 26 October 2009
	The information is as follows:
	 (a) Pay scales for police officers in England and Wales from 1 September 2009 are shown in the following table.
	 (b) Based on published information, the average cost of employment (including salaries, National Insurance, pension costs and superannuation) of a police officer in 2008-09 was £54,300 per full-time officer(1, 2).
	(1) Source: Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) 2008-09 (Provisional Actual data).
	(2) Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Police Service Strength in England and Wales published in March 2009 - Police Numbers.
	
		
			  Pay scales for police officers in England and Wales from one September 2009 
			  Rank  Pay scale 
			 Constable £22,680-£35,610 
			 Sergeant £35,610-£40,020 
			 Inspector £45,624-£49,488 
			 Inspector (London) £47,625-£51,504 
			 Chief inspector £50,502-£52,578 
			 Chief inspector (London) £52,515-£54,588 
			 Superintendent £60,750-£70,779 
			 Chief superintendent £72,543-£76,680 
			 Assistant chief constable(1) £88,470-£103,218 
			 Deputy chief constable(1) £106,167-£135,660 
			 Chief constable(1) £123,858-£176,943 
			 Deputy commissioner £209,382 
			 Commissioner £253,620 
			 (1)( )Including equivalent of London ranks.

Proceeds of Crime

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each police authority recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Information on the value of cash forfeiture orders and confiscation orders obtained by police forces under the Proceeds and Crime Act 2002, and earlier legislation, is set out in the following tables. The police can obtain forfeiture orders in the magistrates courts following the seizure of cash which they have reasonable grounds for suspecting is the proceeds of crime or intended for use in crime. Confiscation orders are made in the Crown court. The enforcement of confiscation orders is essentially a matter for HM Courts Service.
	
		
			  Asset recovery performance by police forces in England and Wales, 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  Table 1: Cash forfeitures and confiscation orders obtained in 2004-05 
			  £ 
			   Cash forfeitures  Confiscation 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 133,916.00 1,826,013.23 
			 Bedfordshire Police 23,321.00 131,660.96 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 21,344.51 2,674,079.90 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 96,086.69 471,570.50 
			 City of London Police 193,166.34 2,016,420.02 
			 Cleveland Police 82,587.14 149,554.28 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 60,070.00 64,085.05 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 150,764.01 2,387,166.85 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 0.00 1,182,881.95 
			 Dorset Police 20,565.00 1,030,259.06 
			 Durham Constabulary 0.00 464,384.45 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 0.00 201,060.20 
			 Essex Police 72,535.00 289,268.57 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 0.00 390,464.23 
			 Greater Manchester Police 231,487.95 3,191,826.08 
			 Gwent Police 21,606.00 356,841.12 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 80,394.45 368,306.41 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 41,175.00 246,431.93 
			 Humberside Police 0.00 330,636.13 
			 Kent Police 231,086.24 1,710,106.38 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 109,496.31 3,540,660.63 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 94,283.42 860,600.35 
			 Lincolnshire Police 36,690.00 271,222.23 
			 Merseyside Police 704,832.58 2,203,863.63 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 2,566,163.12 25,150,456.01 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 59,735.01 849,764.11 
			 North Wales Police 34,410.45 75,347.67 
			 North Yorkshire Police 12,340.00 192,741.94 
			 Northamptonshire Police 20,909.60 1,042,506.87 
			 Northumbria Police 0.00 887,223.88 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 95,905.09 1,244,616.67 
			 South Wales Police 203,507.00 196,124.51 
			 South Yorkshire Police 264,500.08 1,117,598.45 
			 Staffordshire Police 19,430.00 240,975.82 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 45,980.00 320,374.31 
			 Surrey Police 102,495.00 1,134,623.31 
			 Sussex Police 74,575.67 927,281.05 
			 Thames Valley Police 200,427.86 572,971.61 
			 Warwickshire Police 10,827.36 46,528.93 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 216,213.60 738,159.04 
			 West Midlands Police 558,050.48 1,475,672.28 
			 West Yorkshire Police 161,138.70 2,089,223.87 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 0.00 482,559.71 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : Cash forfeitures and confiscation orders  obtained in 2005 -0 6 
			  £ 
			   Cash forfeitures  Confiscation 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 86,995.14 1,350,156.15 
			 Bedfordshire Police 38,601.01 233,509.07 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 54,387.50 156,358.05 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 281,051.72 547,246.12 
			 City of London Police 106,017.22 1,449,427.09 
			 Cleveland Police 54,234.38 841,995.09 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 268,574.24 99,449.45 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 40,217.66 292,430.68 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 16,959.09 863,560.06 
			 Dorset Police 150,692.54 840,085.68 
			 Durham Constabulary 5,660.00 1,014,246.20 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 0.00 459,733.62 
			 Essex Police 128,225.42 523,381.11 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 26,067.10 344,403.20 
			 Greater Manchester Police 493,262.31 4,701,229.78 
			 Gwent Police 21,750.50 468,493.95 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 99,897.50 803,982.52 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 22,711.00 912,879.03 
			 Humberside Police 49,016.71 244,158.75 
			 Kent Police 433,171.86 917,499.25 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 130,002.88 4,332,663.09 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 5,490.00 1,103,613.18 
			 Lincolnshire Police 27,860.00 1,420,303.50 
			 Merseyside Police 934,655.44 2,537,917.43 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 6,163,935.02 25,138,026.12 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 96,232.00 3,187,861.84 
			 North Wales Police 292,940.84 738,071.51 
			 North Yorkshire Police 43,939.75 369,561.13 
			 Northamptonshire Police 156,181.41 592,367.98 
			 Northumbria Police 25,110.00 497,611.54 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 76,857.11 401,539.69 
			 South Wales Police 116,159.53 5,052,519.78 
			 South Yorkshire Police 177,460.05 1,082,532.84 
			 Staffordshire Police 96,002.51 1,068,689.27 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 27,824.14 638,467.96 
			 Surrey Police 142,707.32 665,750.09 
			 Sussex Police 135,894.49 2,146,331.65 
			 Thames Valley Police 220,524.48 2,069,489.00 
			 Warwickshire Police 41,411.85 212,979.83 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 84,710.00 1,155,162.42 
			 West Midlands Police 746,793.29 2,602,105.00 
			 West Yorkshire Police 138,336.26 4,225,933.68 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 24,942.00 570,130.74 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 : Cash forfeitures and confiscation orders  obtained in 2006 -0 7 
			  £ 
			   Cash forfeitures  Confiscation 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 118,111.16 1,099,536.51 
			 Bedfordshire Police 79,555.83 321,706.92 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 112,500.17 863,759.13 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 130,338.80 841,103.05 
			 City of London Police 137,504.33 1,550,085.48 
			 Cleveland Police 59,646.72 1,853,446.49 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 495,227.41 236,930.73 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 162,069.96 640,174.85 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 97,194.20 4,711,463.22 
			 Dorset Police 1,853,768.66 2,027,783.85 
			 Durham Constabulary 86,225.50 268,878.43 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 21,067.03 250,053.68 
			 Essex Police 235,385.24 834,593.38 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 107,130.05 186,267.36 
			 Greater Manchester Police 463,050.74 2,441,451.40 
			 Gwent Police 45,003.42 665,378.67 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 178,630.27 903,561.34 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 657,098.02 558,882.07 
			 Humberside Police 81,304.55 969,974.23 
			 Kent Police 664,169.76 4,113,271.57 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 975,934.86 2,310,087.06 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 140,929.91 826,584.55 
			 Lincolnshire Police 19,641.06 322,934.11 
			 Merseyside Police 1,542,181.62 4,998,019.81 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 6,481,594.79 15,025,413.87 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 28,324.05 241,938.78 
			 North Wales Police 131,853.02 2,759,123.52 
			 North Yorkshire Police 30,949.97 246,250.22 
			 Northamptonshire Police 265,712.35 868,197.28 
			 Northumbria Police 83,624.81 444,487.43 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 36,135.10 3,887,056.10 
			 South Wales Police 26,492.80 2,364,777.98 
			 South Yorkshire Police 263,347.87 1,321,946.43 
			 Staffordshire Police 518,779.68 888,112.46 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 11,435.00 457,049.93 
			 Surrey Police 233,126.55 1,331,447.67 
			 Sussex Police 140,910.70 587,638.84 
			 Thames Valley Police 130,023.40 1,688,234.89 
			 Warwickshire Police 84,859.39 707,532.37 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 481,216.44 248,151.29 
			 West Midlands Police 711,811.19 4,562,478.49 
			 West Yorkshire Police 162,303.07 4,815,559.45 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 62,473.50 131,954.52 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 : Cash forfeitures and confiscation orders  obtained in 2007 -0 8 
			  £ 
			   Cash forfeitures  Confiscation 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 219,704.84 1,335,388.37 
			 Bedfordshire Police 197,832.85 1,002,869.42 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 106,883.26 1,345,644.77 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 369,451.60 820,631.85 
			 City of London Police 232,637.27 892,359.36 
			 Cleveland Police 164,746.07 752,366.29 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 194,348.46 1,300,313.01 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 307,125.81 1,768,291.06 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 174,771.38 1,218,371.52 
			 Dorset Police 213,137.09 1,866,821.24 
			 Durham Constabulary 45,653.30 823,505.76 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 5,140.05 967,566.60 
			 Essex Police 164,430.96 339,582.35 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 188,027.08 1,519,838.51 
			 Greater Manchester Police 1,083,026.08 3,271,300.68 
			 Gwent Police 52,732.23 1,565,678.40 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 312,668.43 2,305,618.93 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 291,054.10 2,806,168.90 
			 Humberside Police 265,922.22 1,381,037.32 
			 Kent Police 364,777.91 2,762,467.82 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 368,809.92 2,312,764.17 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 351,623.65 4,209,907.03 
			 Lincolnshire Police 71,798.37 142,968.09 
			 Merseyside Police 2,957,249.53 3,245,151.92 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 8,373,279.61 24,972,207.04 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 34,977.43 2,414,427.49 
			 North Wales Police 107,260.50 912,095.23 
			 North Yorkshire Police 104,044.67 1,318,236.16 
			 Northamptonshire Police 236,158.65 2,854,229.90 
			 Northumbria Police 521,776.59 1,217,413.99 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 55,608.72 774,058.80 
			 South Wales Police 77,724.48 705,113.30 
			 South Yorkshire Police 823,546.30 4,212,846.70 
			 Staffordshire Police 658,240.81 2,588,418.43 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 134,263.35 823,526.43 
			 Surrey Police 155,774.69 697,375.94 
			 Sussex Police 276,478.55 846,218.14 
			 Thames Valley Police 344,336.90 43,195,794.23 
			 Warwickshire Police 254,020.60 479,042.20 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 154,079.71 1,113,729.67 
			 West Midlands Police 1,066,748.89 2,462,885.07 
			 West Yorkshire Police 362,677.71 1,987,305.48 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 143,465.20 479,760.89 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5 : Cash forfeitures and confiscation orders  obtained in 2008 -0 9 
			  £ 
			   Cash forfeitures  Confiscation 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 262,223.98 2,224,622.10 
			 Bedfordshire Police 245,044.37 986,774.21 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 26,800.97 1,009,504.46 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 489,875.77 2,308,844.74 
			 City of London Police 466,315.62 2,721,055.79 
			 Cleveland Police 373,662.13 708,275.58 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 82,653.49 8,527,805.59 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 508,534.88 792,998.67 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 393,971.54 996,239.81 
			 Dorset Police 100,012.92 420,037.70 
			 Durham Constabulary 115,903.10 471,834.82 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 102,698.64 176,438.60 
			 Essex Police 260,767.69 907,358.66 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 221,398.93 1,802,755.18 
			 Greater Manchester Police 946,710.15 6,287,442.79 
			 Gwent Police 214,909.26 1,886,885.76 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 230,957.18 1,149,608.89 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 233,143.46 1,243,256.27 
			 Humberside Police 236,364.14 1,366,912.09 
			 Kent Police 430,431.17 1,789,290.49 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 991,765.70 5,753,770.38 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 268,691.16 2,792,918.04 
			 Lincolnshire Police 85,352.56 518,169.20 
			 Merseyside Police 1,887,811.42 4,723,707.22 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 11,183,290.26 37,491,923.31 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 17,197.25 758,807.46 
			 North Wales Police 100,504.05 610,501.20 
			 North Yorkshire Police 141,350.11 509,221.26 
			 Northamptonshire Police 93,589.58 708,187.21 
			 Northumbria Police 379,236.25 1,543,540.44 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 351,929.69 1,709,461.67 
			 South Wales Police 146,431.71 2,263,558.19 
			 South Yorkshire Police 709,869.07 3,256,024.39 
			 Staffordshire Police 359,286.26 3,860,860.07 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 144,840.88 593,213.19 
			 Surrey Police 128,303.31 903,820.95 
			 Sussex Police 92,578.47 1,590,927.88 
			 Thames Valley Police 762,085.05 3,198,491.65 
			 Warwickshire Police 230,815.56 305,016.37 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 180,419.29 1,287,531.73 
			 West Midlands Police 2,014,271.90 7,154,515.94 
			 West Yorkshire Police 341,671.93 3,505,952.26 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 148,963.24 524,486.81 
			  Source: Joint Asset Recovery Database. Data includes cases where forces were assisted by Regional Asset Recovery Teams.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the charging regimes in place for mobile location information disclosed under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; what changes are made to  (a) police forces and  (b) private companies for disclosure of such information; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Some private organisations, such as roadside breakdown services, have entered into arrangements with their customers and communications service providers to enable them to obtain location information. This is not covert investigatory activity requiring authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). Moreover RIPA does not regulate the commercial activities of private companies. The Government have no data on costs incurred by private companies with such arrangements.
	Material provided to the police in response to authorised access requests under RIPA has to be to an evidential standard, with procedures in place to ensure clear accountability and compliance with the statutory framework. The arrangements and the charges are kept under review.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the net change in the stock of local authority housing was in 2008-09.

Ian Austin: The local authority housing stock levels reported for 1 April 2008 and 1 April 2009 show a reduction of 53,646 dwellings over the year. This figure is subject to audit.

Economic Situation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to assist those local communities which are most vulnerable to the effects of the recession; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Government will continue to do what is necessary to get Britain through the recession as quickly and as fairly as possible.
	We are seeing real results from the schemes put in place for businesses, homeowners and those facing unemployment as a result of the global recession.
	For business the Government are aware of the impact business rates can have in the current economic climate which is why we have introduced a range of measures including the introduction of the business rates deferral scheme which will enable business ratepayers to defer up to an estimated £650 million across 1.7million properties, boosting their cash flow.
	We are also supporting the construction industry whilst increasing the number and quality of social houses available, for example through the Kickstart programme which is over £1 billion targeted at currently stalled sites to support development of high-quality mixed tenure developments.
	In addition we introduced the LA new build programme to provide funding for local authorities to deliver new social housing over the next two years on land they already own that can be developed only by them. The £460 million fund could provide nearly 4,000 new homes by March 2012.
	For homeowners: help is available to households at every stage of the process to ensure repossession is a last resort. Over 300,000 homeowners have got help and advice since April 2008 and direct financial assistance is helping over 200,000 people.
	For job seekers: Government have now invested £5 billion to help those facing unemployment as a result of the global recession, providing more help and advice at every stage of unemployment.
	CLG are supporting local government to deliver the LGA's pledge to increase the number of apprenticeships by 7,500.
	The HCA have committed to delivering 1300 apprentices through the Housing Pledge, and a further 1,500 apprentices and local labour opportunities through the National Affordable Housing Programme. They are also looking at their other funding programmes to see how they can lever in more apprentices through those.

European Regional Development Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the contingent liabilities in relation to  (a) alleged financial irregularities with the European regional development fund and  (b) corrections due to the European Commission in respect of such irregularities; and how much his Department and its predecessors have paid to the European Commission in respect of corrections imposed as a result of financial irregularities in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's resource account for 2008-09 which was published in July 2009 set out an estimate of contingent liabilities that could arise in future from the management of successive rounds of European regional development fund. The timing and magnitude of future liabilities largely depends upon the outcome of the audit of each programme in the 2000-06 round of ERDF which are due to close formally by 31 March 2010 and a number of audits conducted by the European Commission. The reported estimate of contingent liabilities will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of these audits.
	The Department has settled with the European Commission the following amounts of financial corrections since 1997:
	2008: €25.5 million (£20.1 million)
	2009: €31.0 million (£26.9 million)

Fire Services: Fareham

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much public money has been spent on the proposed Fire Service Regional Control Centre at Fareham; how much is being spent on a monthly basis in maintaining the facility; and what the monetary value is of contractual obligations entered into in respect of the building.

Shahid Malik: Since practical completion on 15 May 2008, expenditure on Fareham Regional Control Centre has been £2,356,788. The current monthly cost of the facility including rent, utilities and facilities management is approximately £163,000. The contractual cost for the lease over the full 25 year lease term is £43,337,023 including uplifts for inflation. The contractual cost for the facilities management over the full seven year contract term is £2,635,876.

Fire Services: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received from  (a) Lancashire County Council and  (b) Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service on the FiReControl Project.

Shahid Malik: I have received no recent formal representations from Lancashire county council and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service on the FiReControl Project.
	However, we continue to have regular contact at a technical level with all fire and rescue services in order to support delivery of the project.

Homelessness

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) social housing new lets and  (b) households were accepted as homeless in each local housing authority area in England in the last 12 months.

Ian Austin: Numbers of new lets are reported by local authorities annually, through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. For local authorities, new lets are defined as the number of lets given to tenants new to the reporting local authority. A table providing the number of new lets in 2007-08 has been placed in the Library. Figures for 2008-09 have not yet been published.
	Numbers of new lets by registered social landlords are available via the Continuous Recording of Lettings system (CORE), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. For registered social landlords, new lets are defined as the number of lets given to tenants new to social housing as a whole. A table providing the number of lets made by registered social landlords in 2008-09 has been placed in the Library.
	Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq22009
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available).
	A table of the number of households accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, by each local authority over the last 12 months (from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009), has been placed in the Library.

Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to assist  (a) teachers and  (b) other key workers with housing costs in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of key workers in high-cost housing areas who have purchased a home in each year since 2001;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of key workers in each category who purchased their first home in each region in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Since 1997 we have assisted over 32,000 key workers through our low cost home ownership products.
	The main initiatives taken specifically to assist teachers and other key workers with housing costs were the Starter Homes Initiative launched in 2001, and succeeded in 2004 by the Key Worker Living programme. Key workers are also a priority group for assistance through other low cost home ownership schemes including HomeBuy, the First Time Buyers Initiative and the London Wide Initiative.
	The following tables show the data available on the number and categories of households who were assisted into a home through the Starter Homes Initiative.
	
		
			   Health  Education  Community safety  Others  Total 
			 2001-02 37 57 10 3 107 
			 2002-03 1,084 1,221 255 56 2,616 
			 2003-04 2,743 1,887 1,048 320 5,998 
			 2004-05 31 31 8 7 77 
			 Total - - - - 8,798 
		
	
	
		
			   Health  Education  Community safety  Others  Total 
			 London 1,821 1,401 662 167 4,051 
			 South East 1,565 1,281 527 173 3,546 
			 East 247 309 129 33 718 
			 South West 260 180 3 13 456 
			 West Midlands 2 25 0 0 27 
			 Total - - - - 8,798 
		
	
	The data above show that 8,798 key workers were helped through the Starter Homes Initiative A further 1,524 key workers were assisted where data on the region and categories of households information are not available. In total 10,322 key workers were helped through the Starter Home Initiative.
	The following table shows the data available on the number of households who have been assisted into a home through the Key Worker Living programme and other low cost home ownership schemes available through HomeBuy. This does not include the First Time Buyers Initiative and London Wide Initiative.
	
		
			  Region  Key worker category  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 East Health 203 408 118 124 291 
			  Education 240 376 134 136 144 
			  Community Safety 90 150 74 70 81 
			  Others 24 31 21 17 22 
			
			 London Health 620 939 928 696 291 
			  Education 684 1,489 661 496 295 
			  Community Safety 208 567 404 256 176 
			  Others 52 95 132 98 42 
			
			 South East Health 1,296 1,113 568 352 310 
			  Education 658 831 502 327 275 
			  Community Safety 182 401 341 227 209 
			  Others 33 77 79 46 38 
			
			 East Midlands Health 0 0 0 0 4 
			  Education 0 0 0 0 5 
			  Community Safety 0 0 0 0 4 
			  Others 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			 North East Health 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Education 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Community Safety 0 0 0 0 2 
			  Others 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			 North West Health 0 0 0 5 5 
			  Education 0 0 0 2 11 
			  Community Safety 0 0 0 4 7 
			  Others 0 0 0 0 1 
			
			 South West Health 0 0 0 33 66 
			  Education 0 0 0 37 64 
			  Community Safety 0 0 0 17 42 
			  Others 0 0 0 3 8 
			
			 West Midlands Health 0 0 0 0 9 
			  Education 0 0 0 0 13 
			  Community Safety 0 0 0 0 8 
			  Others 0 0 0 0 2 
			
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Health 0 0 0 7 7 
			  Education 0 0 0 3 8 
			  Community Safety 0 0 0 0 6 
			  Others 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Total  4,290 6,477 3,962 2,959 2,448 
			   20,136 
		
	
	The Key Worker Living programme operated in three regions, London, East and South East of England. From 2008 the Government gave key workers in all regions priority access to the HomeBuy programme as a whole. A further 1,377 key workers were assisted where there are more than one key worker living in a household. In total 21,513 key workers have been helped through the Key Worker Living and HomeBuy programme.
	The following tables show the data available on the number of households who have been assisted into a home through the First Time Buyers Initiative and London Wide Initiative.
	
		
			  First  T ime  Buyers I nitiative 
			   Calendar year 
			  Region  2006  2007  2008 
			 South East 0 20 38 
			 London 6 23 27 
			 South West 0 13 24 
			 East 0 2 21 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 0 13 12 
			 West Midlands 0 25 31 
			 North West 0 10 26 
			 East Midlands 0 0 1 
			 North East 0 2 0 
			 Total 6 108 180 
			  294 
		
	
	
		
			  London Wide Initiative 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 London 72 98 
			 Total 72 98 
			  170 
		
	
	From the data available, in total 294 key worker have been helped through the First Time Buyers Initiative and 170 key workers have been helped through the London Wide Initiative.

Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the median  (a) house price and  (b) income in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: Median house prices by local authority area are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-586.xls
	Data on median income by local authority for each year since 1997 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 1: Median income in each region in the UK for the years 1997-98 ,  1999-2000 to 2005-06, 2007-08, £ per week equivalised, 2007-08 prices 
			  Basis  Region  1997-9 to 1999-2000  1998-99 to 2000-01  1999-2000 to 2001-02 
			  Before Housing Costs North East 293 298 318 
			  North West 317 326 338 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 307 312 326 
			  East Midlands 330 338 348 
			  West Midlands 330 331 341 
			  East of England 372 379 397 
			  London 374 393 408 
			  South East 400 413 424 
			  South West 333 345 357 
			  Scotland 334 340 351 
			  Wales 310 313 322 
			  Northern Ireland - - - 
			  
			  After Housing Costs North East 235 241 260 
			  North West 255 265 277 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 246 251 267 
			  East Midlands 266 276 286 
			  West Midlands 265 268 277 
			  East of England 293 301 321 
			  London 278 295 312 
			  South East 311 325 337 
			  South West 264 275 288 
			  Scotland 269 276 286 
			  Wales 249 255 265 
			  Northern Ireland - - - 
		
	
	
		
			  Basis  Region  2000-0 1  to 2002-03  2001-02 to 2003-04  2002-0 3  to 2004-05 
			  Before Housing Costs North East 329 340 341 
			  North West 349 357 362 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 341 351 356 
			  East Midlands 354 365 370 
			  West Midlands 351 360 362 
			  East of England 411 414 412 
			  London 424 432 431 
			  South East 437 445 448 
			  South West 372 378 384 
			  Scotland 359 371 379 
			  Wales 335 340 345 
			  Northern Ireland - - 356 
			  
			  After Housing Costs North East 274 285 287 
			  North West 289 299 305 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 282 293 300 
			  East Midlands 295 304 313 
			  West Midlands 288 298 304 
			  East of England 336 341 341 
			  London 326 334 333 
			  South East 348 358 363 
			  South West 302 312 320 
			  Scotland 297 313 324 
			  Wales 279 286 293 
			  Northern Ireland - - 307 
		
	
	
		
			  Basis  Region  2003-04 to  2005 - 06  2004-05 to  2006/07  2005-06  to  2007 - 08 
			  Before Housing Costs North East 347 352 352 
			  North West 364 365 365 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 356 363 366 
			  East Midlands 373 371 369 
			  West Midlands 357 358 361 
			  East of England 410 418 420 
			  London 435 438 441 
			  South East 450 453 457 
			  South West 387 394 396 
			  Scotland 386 386 388 
			  Wales 350 360 356 
			  Northern Ireland 357 356 360 
			  
			  After Housing Costs North East 292 299 304 
			  North West 308 309 311 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 301 307 311 
			  East Midlands 318 318 317 
			  West Midlands 300 300 304 
			  East of England 341 349 351 
			  London 338 344 351 
			  South East 369 371 377 
			  South West 325 332 332 
			  Scotland 332 332 336 
			  Wales 302 312 309 
			  Northern Ireland 311 311 312 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Household Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or equivalised) for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  5. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 6. Figures have been presented on both a Before Housing Cost and After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Cost they are. 7. Incomes are presented in 2007-08 prices and have been rounded to the nearest £ sterling. 8. Data for Northern Ireland is only available on the Family Resources Survey from 2002-03.

Housing Associations: Insurance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance his Department issues to housing associations on best practices in  (a) tendering for and  (b) selecting insurers for their activities;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of insurers who offer insurance cover for the activities of housing associations;
	(3)  if he will take steps to ensure that housing associations take out adequate levels of insurance cover.

Ian Austin: Registered social landlords (RSLs) are independent social businesses and as such their boards have to be satisfied that business risks are properly assessed and audited.
	The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) is the independent regulator of the RSL sector; it has statutory objectives to ensure the viability and efficiency of the sector which must include risk tolerance and risk management.
	The Government do not hold information pertaining to the number of insurers that offer insurance cover for the activities of housing associations.

Housing: Construction

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to housing construction in Islington in each of the last five years; how many  (a) council and  (b) housing association dwellings for (i) rent and (ii) shared ownership were built in Islington in each such year; how many such dwellings he expects to be built in 2009-10; how much such funding he expects to allocate in each of the next three years; and how many such dwellings he expects to be built in Islington in each of those years.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the number of new registered social landlord (RSL) affordable homes (social rent, intermediate rent and low cost home ownership) built in the London borough of Islington each year since 2003-04. There were no local authority affordable homes built in Islington in this period.
	
		
			  RSL New build affordable homes in Islington 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Social rent 210 140 200 220 260 
			 Intermediate rent 0 0 300 190 20 
			 Low cost home ownership 40 10 20 350 110 
			 Total affordable homes 250 150 520 760 390 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS), and local authority returns to CLG. Figures have been rounded to nearest 10 units. 
		
	
	Not all affordable housing is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. For example, in 2007-08, a total of 530 additional affordable homes were provided in Islington (new build and acquisitions).
	Total affordable housing supply statistics for 2008-09 will be released by CLG in December 2009.
	Information on the number of homes completed for social rent under the National Affordable Housing programme (NAHP) for April to September 2009 will be released by the HCA on 24 November.
	The following table shows expenditure through the Affordable Housing programme in Islington over the last five years (both for new build and acquisitions).
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 30.8 
			 2005-06 25.8 
			 2006-07 44.9 
			 2007-08 39.2 
			 2008-09 25.9 
		
	
	As set out in the Homes and Communities Corporate Plan for 2009-10 we are aiming to deliver in England 55,000 affordable homes in 2009-10 and 56,000 in 2010-11.
	Future levels of expenditure and outputs beyond 2010-11 will be dependent upon the outcome of the next Spending Review. Funding through the HCA is a process of competitive bidding and is not budgeted to local authority level.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what maximum expenditure limit has been set for the  (a) Social HomeBuy and  (b) Rent to HomeBuy scheme in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 243-44W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what maximum limit was placed on expenditure on the  (a) Social HomeBuy,  (b) Rent to HomeBuy and  (c) Open Market HomeBuy scheme in each of the last three years.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1540-42W.

Local Government: Stress

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on seeking to reduce work-related stress levels amongst their staff.

Rosie Winterton: No such guidance is provided by the Department.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency have participated in the Mortgage Protection scheme since its inception.

John Healey: We have acted rapidly to put in place a range of help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage, and launched a campaign to ensure households have clear information about the help available.
	Mortgage Rescue scheme summary monitoring statistics are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Figures can be accessed using the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics.
	We will be publishing headline data for the July to September quarter 2009 on 12 November 2009, as pre-announced on the UK Statistics Authority Publication Hub and the Department's statistical release schedule.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the average council tax bill for a home for social rent owned by  (a) a registered social landlord and  (b) a local authority was in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many homes for social rent at each council tax band there were in each local authority area in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many homes for social rent owned by  (a) registered social landlords and  (b) local authorities there were in each council tax band in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) registered social landlords and (ii) local authorities on a national social housing exchange system in each of the last six months.

Ian Austin: No such discussions have taken place.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration his Department has given to the introduction of a national social housing exchange  (a) programme and  (b) website; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: Trends in social housing exchanges are monitored through the 2007-08 Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA); the Department has no current proposals for the introduction of a national scheme.

Tenancy Deposit Solutions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department paid to Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Department has not provided any financial support to Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd. in any of the last five years.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department expects to make available to local authorities in England from the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Rosie Winterton: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund is paid through Area Based Grant, indicative announcements have been made for the 2008-09 to 2010-11 spending period. £507,800,000 has been allocated for 2009-10, and the indicative settlement for 2010-11 is £507,900,000. We expect to confirm what funding is available for 2010-11 in December, alongside the Local Government Finance Settlement. No decision has been made about Working Neighbourhoods Fund beyond 2010-11.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business Council for Britain

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the achievements of the Business Council for Britain against its objectives.

Ian Lucas: The Business Council for Britain was established by the Prime Minister to ensure that the Government focuses on the areas where it will make the greatest benefit to the business environment and to assist the Government in putting in place the right strategy to enable business to compete in the global economy.
	The Business Council continues to operate as a private sounding board for Government and provides a valuable insight into the current cross-cutting challenges and opportunities, highlighting where the links need to be made in order to drive a competitive UK economy.

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small businesses in Coventry have applied for financial assistance under  (a) the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme and  (b) the Capital Enterprise scheme; and how many such applications were successful.

Ian Lucas: Under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, as of 28 October, 19 businesses in Coventry have been offered loans totalling £2.4 million. Businesses may apply for a loan from any one of the participating lenders who will assess which form of lending, including the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, is most appropriate. We do not hold figures for those businesses which are instead offered a normal commercial loan, or are rejected for failing to meet the lender's commercial criteria.
	Capital for Enterprise Fund (CfEF) activity data on enquiries and deal flow is collected on a national and regional basis and is not available for reporting at a sub regional basis. As from 28 October CfEF received 78 enquiries from businesses in the West Midlands seeking investment to the value of £76.9 million. While no investments have been made so far in this region, one business has been offered investment totalling £1.5 million and 11 propositions are under active consideration with a value of £13.9 million. The remaining enquiries are either being considered subject to further information to be supplied by the applicant or have been rejected or withdrawn.

Companies Act 2006

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps were taken to enable Companies House to manage the demand for electronic incorporations following the coming into force of the relevant provisions of the Companies Act 2006 on 1 October 2009.

Ian Lucas: All Companies House operational processes, including electronic incorporations, required to support the implementation of the Companies Act 2006, were subject to the same programme disciplines. Processes were reviewed, redesigned as necessary within the programme, and then quality assured by the relevant operational areas. The computer system changes required to support the revised operational processes were designed, built and subjected to a number of testing cycles. Staff were trained to undertake the new processes and then had practice sessions to reinforce the training they had received. In addition staff were trained in a number of processes to allow resources to be redeployed into areas experiencing high demand. A communications programme, in collaboration with the Department of Business Skills and Innovation, was run over the last two years to inform customers of the changes coming into force and how they would be affected.

Companies: Complaints

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints Companies House received in respect of companies registered with it in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: The number of complaints received by Companies House on technical offences in respect of companies registered in each of the last four years is as follows.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 2,347 
			 2007 2,427 
			 2008 2,505 
			 2009(1) 2,329 
			 (1)Up until October

Copyright: Internet

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of  (a) bandwidth capping and  (b) temporary internet account suspension in preventing illegal music file sharing.

Ian Lucas: Both measures are options which could be used to combat unlawful file-sharing of music files. The effectiveness of  (a) bandwidth capping would depend on the level of the cap imposed and the aim would be to impose such a level as to severely restrict such activity without unduly impacting on other legitimate internet activities. Temporary account suspension  (b) would block all file-sharing. However it would also prevent access to all internet functions and as such is a serious step which would only be used against the most serious infringers.
	It should be noted that this is a fast changing area of technology and before considering introducing any such measure, we would seek up-to-date advice from Ofcom as to their effectiveness.

Copyright: Internet

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the likely effect on internet accounts which have been used to unlawfully file share copyrighted material of the threat of temporary account suspension.

Ian Lucas: The suspension of an internet account is a possible option that might be employed against those subscribers who have been identified as persistently file-sharing material in breach of copyright. There is a mass of industry survey evidence which shows that most subscribers would cease file-sharing activity if they received warning letters backed up with the threat of further enforcement action. Enforcement action in the form of account suspension represents a real, effective and credible deterrent. However it would also block legitimate internet activities and as such is a serious step which would only be used against the most serious infringers.
	It should be noted that this is a fast changing area of technology and social behaviour and before considering the introduction of such a measure, we would seek up-to-date advice from Ofcom.

Copyright: Internet

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the likely effect on consumers of a reduction in the level of unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing on the internet.

Ian Lucas: File-sharing is an activity which requires large amounts of internet bandwidth. Many ISPs already employ traffic management techniques to limit bandwidth-hungry applications at peak times to optimise the performance of their networks.
	Any significant reduction in unlawful file-sharing activity could therefore improve average broadband speeds.
	A reduction in unlawful file-sharing will be the result of enforcement, education and new commercial deals. We would therefore expect a greater number legal content offers to become available to consumers thereby increasing choice.

Copyright: Internet

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the likely costs to internet service providers of compliance with the obligations set out in the Digital Britain report to reduce unlawful file sharing on their networks.

Ian Lucas: The most recent assessment of the likely costs to internet service providers was contained in the Government's consultation on P2P file-sharing issued on 16 June 2009.
	The impact assessment calculated the likely costs to ISPs to be between £290-500 million over a 10 year period. This was set against likely benefits in the region of £1.2-1.4 billion.

Copyright: Internet

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to obtain assessments from internet service providers of the likely cost to them of compliance with obligations set out in the Digital Britain report to reduce unlawful file sharing on their networks.

Ian Lucas: We have held two consultations (July 2008 and June 2009) on possible action to tackle unlawful P2P file-sharing. Both consultations contained impact assessments and both formally asked all parties, including ISPs, for further information on the likely costs that would result. In particular the most recent consultation asked for estimates of the likely cost of the obligations proposed. This consultation closed on 29 September 2009.
	More informally we have been in constant contact with all stakeholders including ISPs over the last two years and have made it clear throughout that we welcome additional and updated information on costs.

Departmental Manpower

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were allocated to defence-related work in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: Since 2007, BIS (and its predecessors) has had three full-time staff engaged on defence industrial policy and relationship management of companies in the defence sector. In 2006, there were five full-time posts.
	The Ministry of Defence's former Defence Export Service's Organisation (DESO) transferred to BIS on 1 April 2008 to form UK Trade and Investment's Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI-DSO). This focuses on promoting UK defence exports and employs 152 staff.

Further Education

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received from the further education sector on the use of the title of college.

Ian Lucas: In the last six months, the only representations received from the further education sector have been two letters from the chief executive of the Association of Colleges on behalf of its members.

Internet

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what his most recent assessment is of the proportion of the UK's internet traffic that is peer-to-peer;
	(2)  what his most recent assessment is of the proportion of network traffic carried by the main domestic internet service providers that is illegal peer-to-peer.

Ian Lucas: No such assessment has been made. This would require all ISPs to have the necessary technical ability to examine the contents of network traffic and to compare the contents against a registered content database to establish the legality of the traffic. Currently UK ISPS do not have such a capability.
	In turn, HM Government cannot require them to monitor internet traffic in this way as such a general requirement would run counter to the eCommerce Directive.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many cars had been purchased under the car scrappage scheme in  (a) Chorley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the North West at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ian Lucas: Using data based on the locations of dealerships and data for scrappage transactions which have been completed and vehicles delivered, there have been 23,864 completed scrappage transactions in the North West, 3,752 in Lancashire and 142 in Chorley.

Video Games

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the monetary value of  (a) exports of UK-produced video games and  (b) video game imports to the UK in each year since 2001.

Ian Lucas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 133W.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Departmental Marketing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's budget for publicity and advertising was in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Department's publicity and advertising budgets for the two years are contained in the following table.
	
		
			   Total (£) 
			 2008/09 2,330,000 
			 2007/08 4,859,830

GCE A-Level: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils on free school meals were awarded a grade A in A Level history in 2008.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 16 October 2009
	52 (10.3 per cent. of those entered) pupils eligible for free school meals achieved a grade A in A-level history in 2008.
	This figure relates to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) in all maintained schools.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department was first informed by the Learning and Skills Council of the projected reduction in funding for 16 to 19 year old education for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: We worked across Government to identify additional funding for the recent surge in demand for education and training. Thanks to the £655 million funding announcement in the Budget, we will be able to fund learning for an additional 54,500 young people each year for 2009/10 and 2010/11. This additional investment will secure the learning places required to help meet the September guarantee of a suitable learning place for every 16 to 18-year-old who wants one.
	This will mean that we have funding for at least 1,550,000 learners for 2009/10 and 2010/11, the highest number of young people in learning that this country has ever seen.
	We were quickly able to reassure school and college leaders who had previously feared their financial allocations would not fund their growth in the number of young people wanting to continue learning.
	It will also mean that we were able to fund a further 20,000 young people who had not made their choice of learning place earlier in the year. We have recently announced an additional allocation for providers to deal with further over recruitment that has become apparent this September/October. Details of the latter will be announced shortly.

Teachers TV: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor paid towards the production of Teachers TV in the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The operating and financial years of the Teachers TV service in the relevant period ran from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2007; from 1 August 2007 to 31 May 2008 (10 months) and from 1 June 2008 to 31 March 2009 (10 months). The second and third periods are shorter as these were tied in to the re-tendering of the supply contract in 2007/08 and a decision to align the operating year for the service to the normal financial year rather than the academic year; the new contract commenced on 1 June 2008.
	In the year to 31 July 2007 the Department paid the Teachers TV supplier a total of £16,727,420.
	In the 10-month period from 1 August 2007 to 31 May 2008 the Department paid the Teachers TV supplier a total of £10,700,298.
	In the 10-month period from 1 June 2008 to 31 March 2009 the Department paid the Teachers TV supplier a total of £10,194,616.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Bereavement Grants: Nurses

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many student nurses have unsuccessfully applied for bereavement grants from her Department in each of the last three years.

Helen Goodman: The information is not available.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Correspondence

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to respond to emails from the hon. Member for Eastbourne dated 31 July, 11 September and 8 October 2009, regarding his constituent Mrs Baker.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she expects the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to respond to emails from the hon. Member for Eastbourne dated 31 July, 11 September and 8 October 2009, regarding his constituent Mrs Baker.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Correspondence

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to respond to emails from the hon. Member for Eastbourne dated 20 May, 24 July and 24 August 2009, regarding his constituent Mr. Holmes.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she expects the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to respond to emails from the hon. Member for Eastbourne dated 20 May 24 July, and 24 August 2009, regarding his constituent Mr. Holmes.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Council Tax: Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in each region were in receipt of  (a) council tax and  (b) housing benefit in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The available information is in the following tables. Information is only available monthly from November 2008; prior to that information is published quarterly.
	
		
			  Number of households receiving housing benefit by English  region and country: August 2006 to  May 2007 
			   2006  2007 
			   August  November  February  May  August 
			 North East 228,350 227,050 228,580 226,820 227,440 
			 North West 516,070 518,390 520,300 518,430 518,560 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 345,790 350,470 350,910 350,950 349,450 
			 East Midlands 244,910 246,040 246,690 242,660 244,850 
			 West Midlands 366,760 364,250 369,420 368,140 369,570 
			 East 297,060 297,830 300,760 300,150 302,140 
			 London 689,680 694,300 692,600 693,450 698,340 
			 South East 412,680 413,810 414,370 414,600 416,410 
			 South West 288,850 284,830 285,600 286,380 286,210 
			 Wales 201,940 200,640 201,250 200,420 200,690 
			 Scotland 432,210 431,160 429,270 429,800 427,260 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of household receiving council tax benefit by English region and country: August 2006  to  May 2007 
			   2006  2007 
			   August  November  February  May  August 
			 North East 295,800 294,660 295,620 294,630 296,640 
			 North West 684,440 684,750 686,640 682,560 682,710 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 460,250 461,050 461,040 460,700 459,010 
			 East Midlands 337,270 337,730 338,270 336,400 336,230 
			 West Midlands 503,030 501,100 506,650 503,850 504,300 
			 East 386,960 390,610 390,900 391,350 391,780 
			 London 726,740 728,950 728,470 724,440 728,010 
			 South East 500,990 501,720 504,020 502,220 503,910 
			 South West 371,480 367,420 368,810 368,860 368,200 
			 Wales 282,970 281,630 282,240 282,250 281,890 
			 Scotland 537,730 534,680 533,920 529,680 526,400 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. taken in August 2006 - August 2007 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of households receiving housing benefit by English region and country: November 2008  to  May 2009 
			   2008  2009 
			   November  December  January  February  March  April  May 
			 North East 232,450 233,930 236,720 238,220 239,050 240,250 241,280 
			 North West 529,720 530,470 534,050 540,780 544,110 547,530 552,880 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 361,140 364,170 371,370 371,950 375,480 378,750 381,520 
			 East Midlands 260,730 262,430 265,500 273,330 276,860 278,510 281,350 
			 West Midlands 385,690 388,690 393,880 396,380 402,180 407,220 409,210 
			 East 318,200 321,650 323,600 329,340 332,720 336,170 339,630 
			 London 711,650 714,740 719,260 721,490 728,870 734,180 738,650 
			 South East 439,260 443,920 450,530 456,520 461,450 467,600 469,900 
			 South West 299,850 302,640 310,610 315,550 318,800 323,490 324,470 
			 Wales 210,820 213,230 213,920 217,310 219,570 220,370 221,970 
			 Scotland 419,100 420,900 428,370 434,030 438,440 440,250 443,130 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of households receiving council tax benefit by English region and country: November 2008  to  May 2009 
			   2008  2009 
			   November  December  January  February  March  April  May 
			 North East 296,580 298,850 302,670 306,070 306,300 308,660 309,980 
			 North West 685,800 688,890 691,210 697,360 701,150 706,550 712,430 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 464,280 469,540 478,700 479,400 483,580 489,680 491,470 
			 East Midlands 349,430 351,770 355,970 365,530 369,600 372,520 375,020 
			 West Midlands 514,480 519,000 525,170 529,140 535,760 542,740 544,370 
			 East 405,300 409,460 411,890 417,640 421,560 426,650 429,980 
			 London 728,320 731,110 734,670 735,890 740,220 747,880 751,040 
			 South East 520,140 525,710 534,380 541,100 546,380 554,700 556,400 
			 South West 377,750 380,670 391,730 396,310 399,260 405,690 406,240 
			 Wales 289,440 292,250 293,340 298,000 300,840 302,720 304,000 
			 Scotland 520,760 523,430 531,030 534,930 541,940 544,190 547,300 
			  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 5. Council tax benefit figures exclude second adult rebates. 6. Please visit: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/Methodology_revision_webpage.pdf for an understanding of improvements in methodology for housing benefit/council tax benefit caseload National Statistics.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will consider the merits of securing accreditation of her Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Jobcentre Plus contact centre directorate, and contact centres within Pensions, Disability and Carers Service have all received accreditation through the Customer Contact Association (CCA).
	DWP took the decision to use the CCA for its external accreditation as it is the professional body for the call and contact centre industry. The CCA membership reflects the highest standards of staff care and customer service and is seen as an independent organisation with over 600 public and private sector members. It also promotes best practice and professional development through a wide range of benefits and services.
	Over and above complying with the recommendations set out by Sir David Varney (in his Service transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for taxpayers, published in December 2006), accreditation to the CCA standard enables DWP to deliver higher standards of customer service and greater operational efficiency by achieving consistent, standard operational processes in all its contact centres.

Employment and Support Allowance: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of Mid-Bedfordshire constituency have  (a) applied for and  (b) been refused employment and support allowance since October 2008.

Jim Knight: The information is not available.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she is taking to ensure that under 25 year olds in Norwich North constituency are provided with an employment or training opportunity within one year of becoming unemployed.

Jim Knight: The Government have increased support for young people from day one of jobseeker's allowance claims. From early 2010, the Young Persons Guarantee will ensure that, before 12 months on jobseeker's allowance, all 18 to 24-year-olds will be guaranteed a job, training or meaningful activity.
	The Future Jobs Fund, part of the Young Persons Guarantee announced in the Budget, will create new jobs for the long-term unemployed, particularly young adults and those in unemployment hotspots. This initiative will create 150,000 jobs, of which 100,000 will be targeted at young adults who will be eligible for jobs from the fund in their tenth month of unemployment, and 50,000 will be focused on unemployment hotspots. Jobs in the latter are available to all of the long-term unemployed irrespective of their age.
	There are no specific bids for Norwich, North. The bid for Norfolk county council is currently creating 356 jobs between October 2009 and March 2010, which includes jobs in Norwich (as the first round of awards are initially for delivery over a six month period). National bids may also create jobs in this area.

Future Jobs Fund

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the Future Jobs Fund has been allocated to bids in  (a) Basingstoke,  (b) Hampshire and  (c) England in 2009-10.

Jim Knight: holding answer 29 October 2009
	It is not possible to state how much of the Future Jobs Fund has been allocated to bids in Basingstoke, Hampshire and England. This information is commercially sensitive.
	There are no specific bids for Basingstoke. The bid for Hampshire county council is currently creating 398 jobs between October 2009 and March 2010, which includes jobs in Basingstoke (as the first round of awards are initially for delivery over a six-month period). National bids may also create jobs in this area.
	The £1 billion Future Jobs Fund will create 150,000 jobs. To date, around 60,000 jobs have already been approved and the first jobs have actually started.

Future Jobs Fund

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the Future Jobs Fund has been allocated to the creation of 50,000 jobs in unemployment hotspots; what criteria her Department uses to define an unemployment hotspot; and what the eligibility criteria for applications for such posts are.

Jim Knight: The proportion of jobs in each bid targeted at those living in areas of high unemployment will be negotiated with successful bidders, during the Grant Award period. Therefore, complete information is not available at this time.
	Unemployment hotspots are defined as areas of high unemployment, where the rate of claimant unemployment is at least 1.5 percentage points above the national average. Our assumption is that approximately one-third of the £1 billion will be allocated to hotspot areas.
	Jobs in areas of high unemployment will not be restricted to 18-24 year olds approaching the 10 month point of their Jobseeker's Allowance claim. Customers claiming other out of work benefits for at least 39 weeks and living in the specified area will be eligible to apply for these jobs.

Future Jobs Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated cost per job was of each successful bid proposal under the Future Jobs Fund.

Jim Knight: As the number of jobs being created and costs vary between bids, the average unit cost per job will change with each funding round. The estimated average cost is expected to be between £6,300 to £6,500 per job over the life of the fund.

Future Jobs Fund: Scotland

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs she expects to be created under the Future Jobs Fund in  (a) Scotland,  (b) the Highlands and  (c) Inverness in the next 12 months; and what categories of job she expects to be created.

Jim Knight: The Future Jobs Fund is creating 150,000 jobs across the UK, depending on the quality of the bids received. There is no specific allocation of numbers to Scotland, the Highlands or Inverness. In total 3,359 jobs have been funded for the six months from October 2009 to March 2010 in Scotland. The first round of awards is initially for delivery over a six month period. Of these, 1,452 jobs will be created by the bids from SCVO, Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Salvation Army and may include jobs in the Highlands and Inverness. However, it is not yet possible to specify job numbers in individual areas. The bidding process is ongoing and in the future we may receive other bids to create jobs in these regions.
	The types of jobs being created are: warehouse assistants; stores and workshop assistants; drivers; retail and sales assistants; furniture assembly and production; conservation; landscaping; footpath construction; residential; and, family and day care assistants.

Housing Benefit

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) original estimate of expenditure on and  (b) actual expenditure on local housing allowance was in each financial year since its introduction.

Helen Goodman: Out-turn data for 2008-09 will be published shortly after the pre-Budget report.

Housing Benefit

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much expenditure from allowing claimants to receive more in local housing allowance than they have to pay in rent the Government  (a) has incurred in each year since the introduction of the allowance and  (b) is expected to incur in 2009-10.

Helen Goodman: The local housing allowance was rolled out nationally to new claims and to those who move address from 7 April 2008.
	The Department has aggregate expenditure information for 2008-09 on local housing allowance so cannot give the actual value of expenditure incurred from allowing claimants to receive more in local housing allowance than they have to pay in rent.
	The table shows the current estimate of the additional expenditure which may have been incurred in 2008-09 and is expected to occur in 2009-10.
	
		
			  Estimated cost of allowing claimants to receive more in local housing allowance than they have to pay in rent 
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 60 
			 2009-10 180 
			  Source:  Budget 2009 estimates 
		
	
	It is important to note that these estimates are subject to a number of assumptions and estimates are sensitive to small changes in these assumptions.

Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of local housing allowance claimants had their allowance paid directly to their  (a) social and  (b) private landlord in each quarter since the allowance was introduced.

Helen Goodman: holding answer  2 November 2009
	This information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received local housing allowance in England in each quarter since the allowance was introduced.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 2 November 2009
	 The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of recipients of local housing allowance: England, November 2008 to May 2009 
			   Local housing allowance tenants 
			 November 2008 358,740 
			 February 2009 481,640 
			 May 2009 602,550 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 3. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 4. LHA does not include recipients with unknown tenure type. 5. Local housing allowance tenants may include a small number of non-LHA cases making a new claim since 6 April 2008. This will include recipients in caravan accommodation. 6. Please visit http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/Methodology_revision_webpage.pdf for an understanding of improvements in methodology for housing benefit/council tax benefit case load National Statistics.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)

Housing Benefit

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the number of recipients of housing benefit who have been unable to meet their rent costs as a consequence of the withdrawal of benefit on entry to employment.

Helen Goodman: The Department has no such data.

Housing Benefit: St. Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in St. Albans constituency were in receipt of housing benefit at the latest date for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: The information is not available.

Industrial Health and Safety: Sellafield

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to Sellafield Ltd. on meeting the Inspectorate's specifications in respect of safety at legacy ponds and silos at the Sellafield site.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 490-91W.

Jobcentre Plus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection updates are for the most recent four quarters, broken down by the smallest possible geographical area.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 May 2009
	Available information has been placed in the Library.
	The most recent four quarters are July 2008, October 2008, January 2009 and April 2009. No geographical area breakdown was produced in January 2009.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal advisers have been employed in jobcentres in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many personal advisers have been employed in Jobcentres in each of the last 10 years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information is only available from 2003/04. The following table shows the number of advisers for each year from 2003/04 to 2009/10. These figures represent an average of staff deployed in personal adviser activities across each year.
	The table reports a reducing trend in personal adviser numbers over the period. That reflects a decline in unemployment levels. However, as unemployment has increased, this has resulted in additional personal advisers being recruited during the second half of 2008/09. As at May 2009, Jobcentre Plus had 10,458 advisers in post and more are currently being recruited.
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus personal advisers 
			   Full-time equivalents 
			 2003-04 10,159 
			 2004-05 10,515 
			 2005-06 10,259 
			 2006-07 9,275 
			 2007-08 9,235 
			 2008-09 9,425 
			 2009-10(1) 10,193 
			 (1 )Figure is average staff deployed between April 2009 and May 2009.

Jobcentre Plus: Standards

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation she has made of the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus; and what recent steps have been taken to improve the performance of Jobcentre Plus in enabling people to obtain employment.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions uses independent experts to research and evaluate the effectiveness of its labour market programmes. This evidence is published in the Department's Research Report series, which can be found at
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/
	Jobcentre Plus effectiveness is specifically assessed using a range of monthly targets. These targets are designed to increase productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. The Department for Work and Pensions regularly reviews these targets and progress towards them. More details including performance against targets can be found at:
	www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/jcp/Aboutus/Jobcentreplusperformance/2009_-_10_Targets/index.html
	Jobcentre Plus has deployed extra resources to deliver services to customers following announcements in the pre-Budget report and Budget 2009. It has increased front line staffing by around 15,000. The people who have been recruited are employed on a wide range of customer facing roles, providing support to customers through job search advice and benefit processing.
	Jobcentre Plus has also introduced a wide range of new measures. It has:
	strengthened and expanded the Rapid Response Service which offers help and support even before redundancy. Since November 2008, more than 3,000 employers have accepted support offered by the Rapid Response Service.
	extended the help available through Local Employment Partnerships to provide help for the newly unemployed. It met its target of finding jobs for 250,000 priority customers a year early. In September 2009, Government announced a new target to get another 500,000 people into work through local employment partnerships by the end of 2010.
	provided additional support from day one, including help for the newly unemployed to get up to date with the latest job search techniques.
	introduced extra help for customers at the start of a claim, giving them advice within three days of claiming, plus extra help for professionals and executives. At six months, customers are offered recruitment subsidies, work-focused training or volunteering options, and help to start a business.
	Budget 2009 included a significant new package of support for people, particularly young adults, and included an additional £1.1 billion for a new Future Jobs Fund and a Young Person's Guarantee-a guaranteed offer of a job, work-focused training, or other activity to all 18 to 24-year-olds before they have reached the 12 month stage of their claim to Jobseeker's Allowance. Furthermore, over 150 top British employers are supporting Backing Young Britain, a national campaign to create new opportunities for thousands of young people during the recession.

Jobseeker's Allowance

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency have been in receipt of the allowance continuously since 1997.

Jim Knight: The total number of jobseeker claimants who have been in receipt of the allowance since 1997 is 390 in Great Britain. The numbers in each constituency are very small and once rounded to the nearest 10, for disclosure control, will be predominately zero.

Means Tested Benefits

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of people who did not claim a means-tested benefit to which they were entitled in the last 12 months; what estimate she has made of the amount of money in means-tested benefit which was not claimed by such people; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The latest estimates of the numbers entitled to but not receiving income related benefits and of the amounts of unclaimed income related benefits are published in the report Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2007-08. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to reply to the letter of 21 September 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss A. S. Tame.

Jim Knight: Following an extensive search of departmental records, no trace can be found of my right hon. Friend's correspondence with regard to Miss A. S. Tame. If my right hon. Friend would care to write to the Secretary of State again, she will be happy to respond.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what procedures her Department follows to revoke national insurance numbers from those whose right to work in the UK has expired;
	(2)  what steps her Department takes to ensure that foreign nationals awarded national insurance numbers cannot continue to use those numbers once their student and work visas have expired.

Jim Knight: A national insurance number is not sufficient to demonstrate an entitlement to work. Employers must carry out a specified document check on any job applicant's entitlement to work. Most foreign nationals will demonstrate their entitlement to be employed through their national passport. For migrant workers with a temporary immigration status, this specified check must be repeated not less than every 12 months.
	The Department for Work and Pensions conducts thorough identity and immigration status checks on applications for national insurance numbers from foreign nationals. An individual who has no right to be in or work in the UK and applies for a national insurance number will be refused.
	The national insurance number is an administrative reference number used for benefits, tax and national insurance contribution purposes. A national insurance number does not confer any right to benefits, or demonstrate an entitlement to work.
	National insurance numbers, once allocated, are not revoked except in very limited, specified circumstances, such as where duplicate numbers have been issued. This is because a national insurance number, even if only used for a limited period, links an individual to their national insurance contributions record which may be relevant to any future claim to contributory benefits or state pension.
	Anyone who has previously acquired a national insurance number but no longer has the right to live, work or study in the UK does not have access to the benefits system and possession of a national insurance number would not enable a claim to succeed.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were withdrawn from those deemed to be illegal immigrants in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: A National Insurance number is not sufficient to demonstrate an entitlement to work.
	The Department for Work and Pensions conducts thorough identity and immigration status checks on applications for National Insurance numbers from foreign nationals. An individual who has no right to be in or work in the UK and applies for a National Insurance number will be refused.
	The Department for Work and Pensions does not withdraw National Insurance numbers once allocated except in very limited circumstances, such as where duplicate numbers have been issued. This is because a National Insurance number, even if only used for a limited period, links an individual to their National Insurance contributions record which may be relevant to any future claim to contributory benefits or state pension.
	Anyone who has previously acquired a National Insurance number but no longer has the right to live, work or study in the UK does not have access to the benefits system and the use of a National Insurance number in isolation is not sufficient to obtain benefits.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of people in possession of a national insurance number and working beyond the expiration of their student visa.

Jim Knight: The information is not available.
	A National Insurance number is not sufficient to demonstrate an entitlement to work. However, where the UK Border Agency has evidence that students are breaching their immigration conditions, they will investigate and take appropriate action. This can include further applications for leave to remain in the UK being refused or removal from the UK.

New Deal Schemes: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency have participated in a New Deal scheme in each year since 2004.

Jim Knight: The table shows the number of spells started on New Deal schemes in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency since 2004. Some individuals may have had more than one start:
	
		
			   Total starters (spells) 
			 2004 230 
			 2005 210 
			 2006 230 
			 2007 220 
			 2008 220 
			 2009 110 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Westminster Parliamentary constituency (post May 2005) is allocated using the ONS Postcode Directory and customer's postcode. 3. The year of starting is the calendar year of starting the New Deal. 4. Starters (spells) data are not available for New Deal 50 Plus or New Deal for Partners so Starters (individuals) data have been used instead for these schemes. This means that for these schemes only an individual's most recent spell on that New Deal is recorded. 5. Data for New Deal for Partners is available from April 2004 (programme started in May 1989). 6. Latest data is to May 2009.  Source: The Department for Work and Pensions Information Division. The figures are available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp

Post Office Card Account: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of state benefit payments to residents of North East Fife constituency were paid into Post Office card accounts in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: The figures are not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows the precise number and percentage of benefit accounts paid into Post Office card accounts in the North East Fife constituency in each of the last five years. Benefit accounts will have multiple transactions and may include payment of more than one state benefit.
	
		
			   All payment types  All POCA  Percentage paid by POCA 
			 2004 23,900 1,580 7 
			 2005 24,120 4,900 20 
			 2006 26,630 5,110 19 
			 2007 26,810 4,870 18 
			 2008 27,310 4,540 17 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to the nearest whole per cent. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures are as at September in each of the five years, 2004 to 2008. 4. Figures refer to payment accounts. Customers with more than one account will be counted for each account. 5. All benefits and pensions are included but child benefit is administered by HM Revenue and Customs and War Pensions are now administered by MOD. These benefits have therefore been excluded. 6. 2004 was a transitional year in the move from order books to Direct Payment  Source:  DWP, Information Directorate, 100 per cent. data

Recruitment: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many employers have  (a) applied for and  (b) secured funding from her Department to recruit people who have been unemployed for more than six months in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England;
	(2)  what the cost to her Department has been of funding for employers to recruit people who have been unemployed for over six months since the inception of that funding scheme in  (a) Basingstoke,  (b) Hampshire and  (c) England.

Jim Knight: holding answer 29 October 2009
	Information on the number of employers applying for and receiving payments through the recruitment subsidy is not available in the format requested. Many of the employers claiming the subsidy have outlets throughout the country, and make their claims on an aggregated basis; it is not possible to identify where the individuals for whom they are claiming are employed.
	On 14 October 2009, official statistics were released on the take-up of the Six Month Offer across the UK. This showed that 5,990 jobseeker's allowance customers had used the recruitment subsidy between April and July this year. Provisional data for August also showed that a further 1,500 jobseeker's allowance customers have used the recruitment subsidy.
	Information on the cost to the Department of funding for employers to recruit people who have been unemployed for over six months is not available.
	The Government have pledged £0.5 billion over two years from April 2009 to fund the additional support from six months, which includes the recruitment subsidy for employers.

State Retirement Pensions

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the change to the number of pensioners eligible for a full state pension was following the reduction in the number of qualifying years required.

Angela Eagle: The reduction to 30 in the number of qualifying years required for entitlement to a full basic state pension will only take effect for people reaching state pension age from 6 April 2010. As a result of this and other changes in the 2007 pension reforms we estimate that an extra 60,000 people reaching state pension age in 2010-11 will be entitled to a full basic state pension.

State Retirement Pensions

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the state pension as a proportion of gross domestic product in each year since 2005.

Angela Eagle: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Expenditure on state pension as a proportion of gross domestic product 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 State pension (£ million) 51,423 53,663 57,594 61,632 
			 Gross domestic product (£ million) 1,270,835 1,346,209 1,417,797 1,435,006 
			 State pension as a proportion of GDP (percentage) 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.3 
			  Notes: Figures are for Great Britain. Figures are rounded to the nearest million and are in cash terms. State pension expenditure for 2008-09 only is provisional outturn, other years is outturn. State pension comprises basic, additional and Category D.  Source: GDP figures: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/gdp_deflators.xls State Pension expenditure from DWP benefit expenditure tables, Table 3: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/Alltables_Budget2009_Values.xls

Unemployed: Training

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance her Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on referrals to  (a) employment subsidy vouchers,  (b) train to gain,  (c) training places,  (d) volunteering and  (e) help for self-employment on offer as part of the six month offer to the unemployed; and if she will place in the Library a copy of such guidance.

Jim Knight: Guidance to support the six month offer was made available to Jobcentre Plus staff via the DWP internal website on 23 March 2009. The guidance has been constantly reviewed and updated in line with emerging policy.
	Final guidance on the bulk payment process for the recruitment subsidy voucher was issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on 24 April and was also made available via the DWP internal website from 27 April. Interim guidance was made available to Jobcentre Plus staff prior to this, pending final decisions on the process design.
	The written guidance has been supplemented with a range of other products for Jobcentre Plus staff.
	I have arranged for a copy of the guidance issued to support implementation of the six month offer to be placed in the Library.

Widowed People: Social Security Benefits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many widows and widowers  (a) in total and  (b) under 35 years old have received (i) the bereavement payment, (ii) widowed parents' allowance and (iii) bereavement allowance in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: The available information is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Bereavement benefits by type of bereavement benefit for recipients under age 35, Great Britain 
			  As at February each year  Total  Bereavement allowance not age related  Bereavement allowance age related  Widowed parents' allowance with dependants  Widowed parents' allowance without dependants 
			 2005 2,540 (1)- (1)- 2,490 50 
			 2006 2,620 (1)- (1)- 2,580 50 
			 2007 2,600 (1)- (1)- 2,560 30 
			 2008 2,600 (1)- (1)- 2,570 30 
			 2009 2,620 (1)- (1)- 2,610 30 
		
	
	
		
			  Bereavement benefits by type of bereavement benefit for recipients of all ages, Great Britain. 
			  As at February each year  Total  Bereavement allowance not age related  Bereavement allowance age related  Widowed parents' allowance with dependants  Widowed parents' allowance without dependants 
			 2005 53,320 13,430 8,970 30,450 480 
			 2006 56,450 13,440 8,530 34,040 440 
			 2007 58,190 12,650 8,160 36,980 400 
			 2008 58,930 11,570 7,570 39,430 370 
			 2009 60,720 11,450 7,280 41,660 330 
			 (1) Nil or negligible.  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied.  2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  3. 'Widowed parents' allowance without dependants' includes women who were pregnant when widowed.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.